Shloka 16
Tīrtha-Sevana and the Cursed Apsaras
Grāha-Encounter at Saubhadra Tīrtha
यदा क्षोभं नोपयाति नार्तिमन्यतरस्तयो: । ततः स्त्रियस्ता भूतं च सर्वमन्तरधीयत,जब उन दोनोंमेंसे एक भी न तो इन घटनाओंसे क्षुब्ध हुआ और न किसीके मनमें कष्टका ही अनुभव हुआ, तब वे मायामयी स्त्रियाँ और वह राक्षस सब-के-सब अदृश्य हो गये
yadā kṣobhaṃ nopayāti nārtim anyataras tayoḥ | tataḥ striyas tā bhūtaṃ ca sarvam antaradhīyata ||
Nārada sprach: Als keiner der beiden durch das Geschehene in Aufruhr geriet und keiner im Geist Kummer empfand, da verschwanden jene trügerischen Frauen und jenes Wesen (der Rākṣasa) allesamt aus dem Blick.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights inner steadiness: when one does not succumb to agitation (kṣobha) or distress (ārti) in the face of provocations and illusions, deceptive forces lose their power and fade away.
A rākṣasa’s display involving illusory women is meant to disturb the two individuals. Since neither becomes mentally shaken or pained, the illusion collapses and the women and the being vanish from sight.