Shloka 10
Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)
जीवितान्ताय कौरव्य मन्मथस्य वशं गत: । शापजं भयमुत्सृज्य विधिना सम्प्रचोदित:
jīvitāntāya kauravya manmathasya vaśaṃ gataḥ | śāpajaṃ bhayam utsṛjya vidhinā sampracoditaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O scion of the Kuru line, he had fallen under the sway of Kāma. Casting aside the fear born of the curse, and driven onward by fate’s compulsion, he acted in a way that led to the end of his life.”
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.