Shloka 166

Devanagari script

नारदं हृच्छयस्तूर्ण सहसैवाभ्यपद्यत । उसकी उस सेवा तथा अनुपम रूप-सौन्दर्यसे नारदके हृदयमें सहसा कामभावका संचार हो गया

Transliteration

nāradaṁ hṛcchayaḥ tūrṇaṁ sahasaivābhyapadyata |

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa sprach: In eben diesem Augenblick ergriff Kāma, der Gott der Begierde, schnell und plötzlich Nāradas Herz. Als er den hingebungsvollen Dienst und die unvergleichliche Schönheit der Gestalt sah, regte sich unerwartet Verlangen in ihm—und es zeigt sich, wie selbst ein berühmter Asket geprüft werden kann, wenn die Sinne auf mächtige Anziehung treffen, und wie Wachsamkeit zur Selbstbeherrschung nötig ist.

Word by Word

नारदम्Narada (as object)

हृच्छयःdesire (love/longing) in the heart

तूर्णम्quickly, suddenly

सहसाall at once, suddenly

एवindeed, just

अभ्यपद्यतapproached/assailed (came upon)

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

न

नारद (Nārada)

ह

हृच्छय / काम (Kāma, the god of desire)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the spiritually accomplished can face sudden surges of desire when exposed to powerful sensory triggers; therefore, dharma requires continuous vigilance, restraint, and humility rather than complacency about one’s purity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa narrates that Kāma (‘the heart-dweller’) abruptly takes hold of Nārada’s mind; prompted by attentive service and extraordinary beauty, desire arises in Nārada, setting up a moral-psychological test within the story.