Shloka 1.10.4

ऋश्यशृङ्ग-आनयनम् (Bringing Ṛśyaśṛṅga to Aṅga and His Marriage to Śāntā)

Devanagari script

इन्द्रियार्थैरभिमतैर्नरचित्तप्रमाथिभि: ।पुरमानाययिष्याम: क्षिप्रं चाध्यवसीयताम्।। ।।

Transliteration

indriyārthair abhimatair nara-citta-pramāthibhiḥ | puram ānāyayiṣyāmaḥ kṣipraṃ cādhyavasīyatām ||

Translation

By means of agreeable sense-objects that can overpower men’s minds, we shall have him brought to the city; let the resolve be made quickly.

Context

By means of such things that can cause sensual pleasures and overpower the minds of men, we shall be able to bring him to the town. Let it be decided quickly (said the ministers)

Characters & Entities

• city (puram)
• Ṛśyaśṛṅga (implied target of the plan, from sarga context)

FAQs

What is the core ethical principle (Dharma) in this verse?

The verse highlights a dharmic tension: political expediency proposes manipulating desire; it implicitly warns that uncontrolled sense-pleasures can overpower judgment, making restraint a key ethical safeguard.

What is the narrative situation?

Counsellors propose a rapid plan to lure an ascetic to the city by deploying attractive sense-pleasures, aiming to solve the king’s crisis through strategic persuasion.

Which character virtue is emphasized?

By contrast (and implicitly), the virtue is indriya-nigraha (sense-control): the plan works only because ordinary minds are vulnerable to temptation.