Shloka 28
कल्माषपाद-शाप-कारणम्
Cause of Kalmāṣapāda’s Niyoga under a Curse
यत्र विख्यातकीर्ति: स कुरूणामृषभो5भवत् । स राजा मन्मथाविष्टस्तद्गतेनान्तरात्मना,ब्रह्मर्षि वसिष्ठने उस कन्याको ग्रहण किया और वहाँसे विदा होकर वे तपतीके साथ पुनः उस स्थानपर आये, जहाँ विख्यातकीर्ति, कुरुवंशियोंमें श्रेष्ठ राजा संवरण कामके वशीभूत हो मन-ही-मन तपतीका चिन्तन करते हुए बैठे थे
yatra vikhyāta-kīrtiḥ sa kurūṇām ṛṣabho 'bhavat | sa rājā manmathāviṣṭas tad-gatenāntarātmanā ||
Vasiṣṭha said: “There, that king—of renowned fame, the foremost of the Kurus—sat overwhelmed by the power of desire, his inner self wholly absorbed in Tapati.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a celebrated and capable ruler can be inwardly overpowered by desire; the verse highlights the ethical need for self-mastery and the recognition that inner fixation (antarātmanā tad-gatena) can govern outward conduct.
Vasiṣṭha points out the place where King Saṃvaraṇa, famed among the Kurus, is sitting in a love-stricken state—mentally absorbed in Tapati—setting the stage for the ensuing resolution of their relationship.