Shloka 10
Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)
जीवितान्ताय कौरव्य मन्मथस्य वशं गत: । शापजं भयमुत्सृज्य विधिना सम्प्रचोदित:,परंतु उनके मनपर तो कामका वेग सवार था; अतः उन्होंने मृगरूपधारी मुनिसे प्राप्त हुए शापका विचार नहीं किया। कुरुनन्दन जनमेजय! वे कामके वशमें हो गये थे, इसलिये प्रारब्धसे प्रेरित हो शापके भयकी अवहेलना करके स्वयं ही अपने जीवनका अन्त करनेके लिये बलपूर्वक मैथुन करनेकी इच्छा रखकर माद्रीसे लिपट गये
jīvitāntāya kauravya manmathasya vaśaṃ gataḥ | śāpajaṃ bhayam utsṛjya vidhinā sampracoditaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Spross des Kuru-Geschlechts, er war unter die Gewalt des Kāma geraten. Die aus dem Fluch geborene Furcht von sich werfend und vom Zwang des Schicksals vorangetrieben, handelte er so, dass es zum Ende seines eigenen Lebens führte.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical warning: when desire (kāma) overwhelms discernment, one may disregard even clear moral and practical restraints (such as a known curse), and thereby rush toward self-destruction. It contrasts loss of self-control with the binding force of what is ‘ordained’ (vidhi), underscoring the need for restraint and wise fear of consequences.
Vaiśampāyana explains to King Janamejaya that the person in question, overcome by passion, set aside the fear arising from a curse and—impelled by fate—acted in a manner that brought about his death. The verse functions as a causal summary: desire → disregard of the curse → fatal outcome.