Shloka 7
Mahāvasu’s Fall by Speech-Error and Release through Devotion (अज-विवादः वसोः शापः विमोचनं च)
भावित्वाच्चैव भावस्य घृताच्या वपुषा हृतः । यत्नान्नियच्छतस्तस्य मुनेरग्निचिकीर्षया
bhāvitvāc caiva bhāvasya ghṛtācyā vapuṣā hṛtaḥ | yatnān niyacchatas tasya muner agnicikīrṣayā
Bhīṣma said: “And because his inner resolve had been fully formed, he was captivated by the beauty of Ghṛtācī. Even as that sage strove to restrain himself with great effort, his intention to perform the fire-rite was disturbed.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even a disciplined person can be shaken when the mind’s intention meets powerful sense-objects; therefore dharma requires vigilant self-restraint and careful guarding of the mind, especially when undertaking sacred vows or rites.
Bhīṣma describes a sage who, while intending to perform a fire-related rite, becomes captivated by the apsaras Ghṛtācī’s beauty; despite his efforts to control himself, his composure and purpose are disrupted.