Curses

In Hindu mythology, one of the standard devices either to advance the
story’s plot or to account for some
inexorable event. Such curses are
often the work of sages and other spiritual adepts, but they can also be
levied by any person who has perfectly fulfilled his or her social role, such
as a faithful wife, loving son, or devoted parent. Making a curse expends the
spiritual powers that a person has
accumulated. At least in mythical
tales, such curses invariably come
true no matter what a person might do
to try to prevent them. For example, in a
mythic story, King Parikshit secludes
himself on a high pillar to escape
death by snakebite but is killed when
a divine serpent conceals itself as a
worm in a piece of fruit. Once pronounced, a curse cannot be simply
nullified, although it can be modified
to blunt its overall effect. For a consideration of the function of curses in
Indian mythology, see Robert Goldman,
“Karma, Guilt, and Buried Memories:
Public Fantasy and Private Memory in
Traditional India,” in the Journal of
the American Oriental Society, Vol.
105, No. 3, 1985.
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Cunningham, Sir Alexander