Shloka 166

Śānti-parva Adhyāya 30: Nārada–Parvata Samaya-bhaṅga, Śāpa, and the Marriage of Sukumārī

Devanagari script

नारदं हृच्छयस्तूर्ण सहसैवाभ्यपद्यत । उसकी उस सेवा तथा अनुपम रूप-सौन्दर्यसे नारदके हृदयमें सहसा कामभावका संचार हो गया

Transliteration

nāradaṁ hṛcchayaḥ tūrṇaṁ sahasaivābhyapadyata |

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: At that very moment, the god of love (Kāma), swift and sudden, seized Nārada’s heart. Seeing the devoted service offered to him and the incomparable beauty of form, desire unexpectedly arose within him—showing how even a celebrated ascetic can be tested when the senses meet powerful objects of attraction, and how vigilance is required for self-mastery.

Word by Word

• नारदम्: Narada (as object)
• नारदम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• हृच्छयः: desire (love/longing) in the heart
• हृच्छयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृच्छय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तूर्णम्: quickly, suddenly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तूर्ण

• सहसा: all at once, suddenly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सहसा

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• अभ्यपद्यत: approached/assailed (came upon)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-√पद्
• Form: Imperfect (Lan), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नारद (Nārada)
• हृच्छय / काम (Kāma, the god of desire)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the spiritually accomplished can face sudden surges of desire when exposed to powerful sensory triggers; therefore, dharma requires continuous vigilance, restraint, and humility rather than complacency about one’s purity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛṣṇa narrates that Kāma (‘the heart-dweller’) abruptly takes hold of Nārada’s mind; prompted by attentive service and extraordinary beauty, desire arises in Nārada, setting up a moral-psychological test within the story.