Shloka 56
कच-देवयानी संवादः
Kaca–Devayānī Dialogue and the Curse on Vidyā
अग्निके समान तेजस्वी महर्षि विश्वामित्रके देखते-देखते वहाँ यह घटना घटित हुई। वह अनिन्द्य सुन्दरी विषम परिस्थितिमें पड़ गयी थी और घबराकर वस्त्र लेनेकी इच्छा कर रही थी। उसका रूप-सौन्दर्य अवर्णनीय था। तरुणावस्था भी अद्भुत थी। उस सुन्दरी अप्सराको मुनिवर विश्वामित्रने वहाँ नंगी देख लिया
agnike samāna tejasvī maharṣi viśvāmitrake dekhate-dekhate tatra iyaṃ ghaṭanā ghaṭitā. sā anindyā sundarī viṣama paristhitim̐ paṛa gayī thī aur ghabarākar vastra lenekī icchā kara rahī thī. tasyā rūpa-saundarya avarṇanīya thā. taruṇāvasthā bhī adbhuta thī. tāṃ sundarīm apsarāṃ munivar viśvāmitreṇa tatra nagnī dṛṣṭā.
Kaṇva said: Before the very eyes of the radiant sage Viśvāmitra—whose splendor was like fire—this incident occurred. An irreproachable and beautiful apsaras found herself in a difficult predicament; frightened, she sought to obtain clothing. Her beauty was beyond description, and her youthful bloom was extraordinary. In that place, the eminent sage Viśvāmitra saw the lovely apsaras unclothed.
कण्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames an ethically sensitive encounter to highlight dharma in situations of vulnerability: the need for modesty and protection for one in distress, and the testing of a sage’s self-restraint when confronted with unexpected sensual stimuli.
Kaṇva narrates that a blameless, beautiful apsaras, caught in a difficult situation and seeking clothing, is seen unclothed by the radiant sage Viśvāmitra—setting up a moment of tension involving desire, restraint, and moral conduct.