Shloka 41
Narmadā
Revā) Tīrtha Greatness: The Gandharva Maidens’ Curse Narrative (Acchodā Episode Begins
तावदेव तपसः प्रगल्भता तावदेव शमसेवनं नृणाम् । यावदेव ललनेक्षणा स वैर्माद्यते द्रुतमदैर्न पूरुषः
tāvadeva tapasaḥ pragalbhatā tāvadeva śamasevanaṃ nṛṇām | yāvadeva lalanekṣaṇā sa vairmādyate drutamadairna pūruṣaḥ
لا تدوم جرأةُ الرجل في التقشّف والتنسّك إلا إلى ذلك الحدّ، ولا تدوم ممارستُه لضبط النفس إلا إلى ذلك الحدّ—ما دام نظرُ المرأة لا يزعزعه؛ فإذا سكر سريعًا بالشهوة لم يعد حقًّا سيّدَ نفسه.
Not explicitly identifiable from the single verse (context needed from surrounding verses).
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Sandhi Resolution Notes: tāvadeva → tāvat + eva; yāvadeva → yāvat + eva; lalanekṣaṇā → lalanā-īkṣaṇā; vairmādyate in source read as vai + mādyate.
FAQs
It warns that austerity (tapas) and calm self-restraint (śama) are tested by sensual temptation; without mastery over desire, one’s spiritual discipline can quickly collapse.
Śama is inner quietude and self-governance. The verse suggests śama is not merely claimed in isolation but proven when one remains steady amid provoking sights and desires.
The verse uses the ‘glance of a woman’ as a conventional example of temptation; its ethical focus is the practitioner’s vulnerability to desire and the need for disciplined perception and restraint.