Curses.
One of the usual techniques in Hindu mythology for either advancing the narrative or accounting for some inevitable occurrence.
Curses like this are often cast by sages and other spiritual adepts, but they may also be cast by anybody who has flawlessly performed their social duty, such as a loyal wife, loving son, or caring father.
A person's spiritual abilities are expended when they make a curse.
Such curses, at least in legendary stories, always come true, no matter what a person does to attempt to avoid them.
In one tale, King Parikshit hides himself on a high pillar to avoid being bitten by a snake, but he is slain when a divine serpent disguises itself as a worm in a piece of fruit.
A curse can't be undone after it's been said, but it may be changed to lessen its overall impact.
Robert Goldman, “Karma, Guilt, and Buried Memories: Public Fantasy and Private Memory in Traditional India,” Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 105, No. 3, 1985, discusses the role of curses in Indian mythology.
You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.
