Shloka 18
Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)
रक्ष्यमाणो मया नित्यं वीर: सततमात्मवान् । कथं त्वामत्यतिक्रान्त: शापं जानन् वनौकस:
rakṣyamāṇo mayā nityaṃ vīraḥ satatam ātmavān | kathaṃ tvām atyatikrāntaḥ śāpaṃ jānan vanaukasaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Though that heroic, self-controlled king was always under my constant protection, how did he—knowing the curse of the forest-dwelling sage—still overstep restraint and forcefully unite with you?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the disciplined can fall when desire overrides discernment; knowingly crossing a moral boundary (especially under a known curse) highlights the Mahābhārata’s emphasis on self-restraint and accountability for foreseeable consequences.
The speaker questions how the king, despite being continually guarded and aware of a forest-sage’s curse, still transgressed and engaged in forceful union with Mādrī—setting up the ethical and causal tension that the curse will inevitably bear fruit.