Shloka 24
Adhyāya 14: Sudēṣṇā Sends Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s House (सुदेष्णा–सैरन्ध्री–कीचक संवादः)
जज्वाल चाग्निमदनो दावाग्निरिव निर्दय: । त्वत्सड्र्माभिसंकल्पविवृद्धो मां दहत्ययम्
jajvāla cāgnimadano dāvāgnir iva nirdayaḥ | tvatsaṅgamābhisaṅkalpa-vivṛddho māṃ dahaty ayam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Pitiless Kāma, taking the form of fire, has flared up like a forest-conflagration within the woodland of my heart. The very resolve for union with you feeds it like ghee; thus intensified, this desire now burns me.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked desire is portrayed as a merciless fire: once the mind repeatedly resolves upon sense-union, that very intention becomes the fuel that intensifies suffering. The ethical implication is the need for restraint and mindful governance of saṅkalpa (deliberate intention).
The speaker describes being overwhelmed by passion: Kāma has arisen like a wildfire in the heart, and the thought of meeting the beloved acts like ghee, making the blaze stronger, so that desire ‘burns’ the person from within.