Shloka 16
Ādi-parva Adhyāya 209: Śaraṇāgati of the Cursed Apsarases; Nārītīrtha-prasiddhi; Arjuna’s Vimocana
नाक्रामन्त यदा शापा बाणा मुक्ता: शिलास्विव । नियमान् सम्परित्यज्य व्यद्रवन्त द्विजातय:,पत्थरपर चलाये हुए बाणोंकी भाँति जब शाप उन्हें पीड़ित न कर सके, तब ब्राह्मगलोग अपने सारे नियम छोड़कर वहाँसे भाग चले
nākramanta yadā śāpā bāṇā muktāḥ śilāsv iva | niyamān samparityajya vyadravanta dvijātayaḥ ||
قال نارادا: فلما لم تستطع اللعنات أن تكفّهما—كالسِّهام إذا أُطلقت على الصخر—ترك ذوو الميلادين قيودهم وشرائعهم، وفرّوا من ذلك الموضع.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
External authority (even a curse) may fail to restrain wrongdoing or danger; when inner steadiness is absent, people may abandon niyama (disciplined conduct) under pressure. The verse highlights the ethical contrast between prescribed restraint and panic-driven flight.
Nārada describes a moment when curses do not succeed in stopping the situation—compared to arrows striking rock without effect—so the twice-born, giving up their customary observances, run away from the place.