Shloka 14
Ruru–Pramadvarā: Lineage, Fosterage, Betrothal, and the Snakebite Crisis (Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 8)
तामाश्रमपदे तस्य रुरुर्दृष्टवा प्रमद्वराम् । बभूव किल धर्मात्मा मदनोपहतस्तदा,एक दिन धर्मात्मा रुसने महर्षिके आश्रममें उस प्रमद्वराको देखा। उसे देखते ही उनका हृदय तत्काल कामदेवके वशीभूत हो गया
tām āśramapade tasya rurur dṛṣṭvā pramadvarām | babhūva kila dharmātmā madanopahatas tadā ||
At that hermitage-settlement, Ruru caught sight of Pramadvarā. Though known as a righteous man, he was then—so it is said—struck by Kāma, and his heart came under the sway of desire.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that even a person described as dharmātmā (righteous) can be suddenly overwhelmed by desire; the ethical focus shifts to how one governs passion and aligns subsequent action with dharma.
Ruru, at a hermitage, sees Pramadvarā and immediately becomes love-struck—described as being afflicted by Madana (Kāma)—which initiates the romantic and consequential events of their episode.