Shloka 16

Devanagari script

यदा क्षोभं नोपयाति नार्तिमन्यतरस्तयो: । ततः स्त्रियस्ता भूतं च सर्वमन्तरधीयत,जब उन दोनोंमेंसे एक भी न तो इन घटनाओंसे क्षुब्ध हुआ और न किसीके मनमें कष्टका ही अनुभव हुआ, तब वे मायामयी स्त्रियाँ और वह राक्षस सब-के-सब अदृश्य हो गये

Transliteration

yadā kṣobhaṃ nopayāti nārtim anyataras tayoḥ | tataḥ striyas tā bhūtaṃ ca sarvam antaradhīyata ||

Translation

Nārada said: When neither of the two was stirred into agitation by what had occurred, nor did either feel distress in the mind, then those illusory women and that being (the rākṣasa) all vanished from sight.

Word by Word

यदाwhen

क्षोभम्agitation, disturbance

नnot

उपयातिapproaches, comes to

नnor/not

आर्तिम्distress, suffering

अन्यतरःeither one (of two)

तयोःof those two

ततःthen, thereafter

स्त्रियःwomen

ताःthose (f.)

भूतम्the being (ghost/demon)

चand

सर्वम्all (of it/them)

अन्तरधीयतdisappeared, became invisible

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

two persons (anyataraḥ tayoḥ)

illusory women (māyā-striyaḥ)

bhūta (being)

rākṣasa (implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights inner steadiness: when one does not succumb to agitation (kṣobha) or distress (ārti) in the face of provocations and illusions, deceptive forces lose their power and fade away.

What is happening in the narrative?

A rākṣasa’s display involving illusory women is meant to disturb the two individuals. Since neither becomes mentally shaken or pained, the illusion collapses and the women and the being vanish from sight.