Shloka 31
Adhyāya 128 — Proposal to Restrain Keśava; Sātyaki’s Warning and Vidura–Dhṛtarāṣṭra Counsel
क्षुद्राक्षेणेव जालेन झषावपिहितावुभौ । कामक्रोधौ शरीरस्थीौ प्रज्ञानं तौ विलुम्पत:
kṣudrākṣeṇeva jālena jhaṣāv apihitāv ubhau | kāmakrodhau śarīrasthau prajñānaṃ tau vilumpataḥ ||
ক্ষুদ্র ছিদ্রযুক্ত জালে আচ্ছাদিত দুই মাছের মতো, কাম ও ক্রোধও শরীরের ভিতরেই গোপনে থাকে; এই দুই-ই মানুষের প্রজ্ঞা লুণ্ঠন করে।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire (kāma) and anger (krodha) are internal forces that quietly overpower a person and rob them of prajñāna—clear discernment—thereby leading to unethical choices and loss of dharmic judgment.
Vaiśampāyana delivers a moral observation using a vivid simile: just as fish are trapped under a fine-meshed net, human beings are trapped from within by desire and anger, which then undermine their capacity to understand and act rightly.