Text 36
ity uktvā roṣa-tāmrākṣo
vayasyān ṛṣi-bālakaḥ
kauśiky-āpa upaspṛśya
vāg-vajraṁ visasarja ha
iti — thus; uktvā — saying; roṣa-tāmra-akṣaḥ — with red-hot eyes due to being angry; vayasyān — unto the playmates; ṛṣi-bālakaḥ — the son of a ṛṣi; kauśikī — the River Kauśikā; āpaḥ — water; upaspṛśya — by touching; vāk — words; vajram — thunderbolt; visasarja — threw; ha — in the past.
The son of the ṛṣi, his eyes red-hot with anger, touched the water of the River Kauśika while speaking to his playmates and discharged the following thunderbolt of words.
The circumstances under which Mahārāja Parīkṣit was cursed were simply childish, as it appears from this verse. Śṛṅgi was showing his impudency amongst his playmates, who were innocent. Any sane man would have prevented him from doing such great harm to all human society. By killing a king like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, just to make a show of acquired brahminical power, the inexperienced son of a brāhmaṇa committed a great mistake.