Shloka 69
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
ततः संकल्पबीजेन कामेन विषयेषुभि: । विद्धः पतति लोभाग्नौ ज्योतिर्लोभात् पतड़वत्,तदनन्तर संकल्प ही जिसका बीज है, उस कामके द्वारा विषयरूपी बाणोंसे बिंधकर मनुष्य ज्योतिके लोभसे पतंगकी भाँति लोभकी आगमें गिर पड़ता है
tataḥ saṅkalpa-bījena kāmena viṣayeṣubhiḥ | viddhaḥ patati lobhāgnau jyotir-lobhāt pataṅgavat ||
Then, pierced by the arrows of sense-objects, driven by desire whose seed is mere mental resolve (saṅkalpa), a person falls into the fire of greed—like a moth that, out of longing for light, rushes into flame.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
A small inner resolve (saṅkalpa) can become the seed of desire (kāma). When desire chases sense-objects, it wounds discernment and leads one into greed (lobha), which consumes like fire. The moth-and-flame image teaches that attraction to a seemingly bright object can end in ruin if not governed by restraint.
Śaunaka is describing a moral chain-reaction: intention gives rise to desire; desire, through engagement with sense-objects, ‘pierces’ a person; and the person then plunges into the destructive blaze of greed—illustrated by the moth that rushes toward light and perishes in fire.