Shloka 16
पञ्चाप्सरो-सरः कथनम् तथा अगस्त्याश्रममार्गनिर्देशः
Panchapsara Lake Account and Directions to Agastya
अप्सरोभिस्ततस्ताभिर्मुनिर्दृष्टपरावरः।।।।नीतो मदनवश्यत्वं सुराणां कार्यसिद्धये।
apsarobhis tatas tābhir munir dṛṣṭaparāvaraḥ |
nīto madanavaśyatvaṃ surāṇāṃ kāryasiddhaye ||
Dann wurde jener Weise — der Höheres und Niedrigeres erkannte — durch jene Apsaras unter die Herrschaft der Begierde gebracht, damit das Vorhaben der Götter gelinge.
The sage, a knower of the inner self and the world of plurality, was gripped by passion for the apsaras, who had come to achieve the target of the gods.
FAQs
Spiritual knowledge alone is not sufficient without continued discipline; dharma requires vigilance against kāma, which can overpower even the learned.
The apsarases succeed in making the sage fall under passion, fulfilling the gods’ plan to interrupt his ascetic progress.
The virtue emphasized by contrast is self-mastery (indriya-nigraha): the verse shows what happens when desire gains control.