Bharadvaja Lamenting and Cursing Raibhya
Bharadvaja finds his son dead and hears a shudra's taunt about the killing. In his grief, he curses his dearest friend Raibhya — that Raibhya's own eldest son will kill him, though he is innocent — then cremates his son and walks into the fire himself.
Bharadvaja heard the shudra's words — unpleasant, cutting — and saw his son lying dead. He gathered the boy into his arms and began to lament.
"You performed austerities for the welfare of brahmanas," he said, "so that the Vedas not studied by brahmanas might become manifest in you. Your conduct towards the great-souled brahmanas was always driven by welfare. You exhibited no sin towards all beings. Nevertheless, you became harsh."
He had warned his son. He had told him not to go near Raibhya's dwelling — that place was like Yama, the god of death. But the boy had gone anyway, to that mean place.
"O son! I prohibited you from seeing the place where Raibhya lives, because it is like Yama, the bringer of death. But you went to that mean place."
Now Bharadvaja understood what had happened. Raibhya — the immensely energetic one — knew Bharadvaja was old. Knew this was his only son. But Raibhya had fallen prey to anger anyway, and the deed was done.
"Because of Raibhya's deed, I am now mourning for my son. O son! Because of your loss and your death, I will give up my life, the most precious thing on earth."
Then he spoke the curse.
"Just as I am giving up my body out of sorrow for my son, Raibhya's eldest son will soon kill him, though he will be innocent."
He paused in his lamentation to reflect on what he had just done. "Happy are men to whom sons have not been born. They roam happily, without having to grieve over a son. Who can be more evil than those who, grieving over the death of their sons and miserable and disturbed in senses, curse their dearest friends? Having seen my son dead, I have cursed my best friend. Where is there a second one who confronts such calamity?"
He lamented in many ways. Then he cremated his son. When the fire had consumed the body, Bharadvaja himself entered a fire that had been kindled well, and ended his own life.
The curse remained. It would not be undone. Raibhya's eldest son would kill him — though he was innocent — because a grieving father had spoken words that could not be taken back. Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 435