Shloka 18
Droṇotpattiḥ and Dhanurveda-Prāpti
Origin of Droṇa and Acquisition of Martial Science
कामयामासतुस्तौ च परस्परमिति श्रुतम् । स तस्यां कामसम्पन्नो यक्ष्मणा समपद्यत,“मैंने सुना है, वे दोनों पति-पत्नी एक-दूसरेको बहुत चाहते थे। पत्नीके प्रति अत्यन्त कामासक्त होनेके कारण राजा व्युषिताश्व राजयक्ष्माके शिकार हो गये
kāmayāmāsatus tau ca parasparam iti śrutam | sa tasyāṃ kāmasampanno yakṣmaṇā samapadyata |
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „Man hört, dass die beiden—Gatte und Gattin—einander zutiefst begehrten. Doch der König, von sinnlicher Begierde nach ihr überwältigt, verfiel der rājayakṣmā (rājayakṣmā), einer zehrenden Schwindsucht.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames excessive sensual absorption (kāma) as a force that can weaken discernment and even lead to ruin; it implicitly commends restraint and balance in household life, where affection should not become compulsive indulgence.
Vaiśaṃpāyana reports that the king and his wife were mutually attached, but the king’s intense sexual preoccupation with her results in his being afflicted by yakṣmā (rājayakṣmā), a wasting illness.