Shloka 5
वैशम्पायन उवाच असम्भवे हेममयस्य जन्तो- स्तथापि रामो लुलुभे मृगाय । प्रायः समासन्नपरा भवाणां धियो विपर्यस्ततरा भवन्ति,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--जनमेजय! किसी जानवरका शरीर सुवर्णका हो, यह सम्भव नहीं; तथापि श्रीराम स्वर्णमय प्रतीत होनेवाले मृगके लिये लुभा गये। जिनका पतन या पराभव निकट होता है, उनकी बुद्धि प्राय: अत्यन्त विपरीत हो जाती है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | asambhave hemamayasya jantoḥ tathāpi rāmo lulubhe mṛgāya | prāyaḥ samāsannaparā bhavāṇāṃ dhiyo viparyastatarā bhavanti ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Though it is impossible for any creature’s body to be made of gold, still Rāma was enticed by the deer that appeared golden. For those whose downfall is close at hand, the mind is usually driven into even greater perversity and error.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When ruin is imminent, discernment collapses: people become attracted to what is impossible or deceptive, and their judgment turns increasingly inverted.
Vaiśampāyana illustrates a general moral principle by citing Rāma’s moment of being drawn toward the seemingly golden deer—despite the impossibility of a truly gold-bodied animal—showing how delusion can arise when misfortune is near.