Shloka 1.23.1
कामाश्रम-प्रवेशः / Entry into Kāma’s Hermitage at the Sarayū–Gaṅgā Confluence
प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां विश्वामित्रो महामुनि:।अभ्यभाषत काकुत्स्थौ शयानौ पर्णसंस्तरे।।।।
kandarpo mūrtimān āsīt kāma ity ucyate budhaiḥ |
tapasyantam iha sthāṇuṁ niyamena samāhitam || 1.23.10 ||
kṛtodvāhaṁ tu deveśaṁ gacchantaṁ samarudgagaṇam |
dharṣayāmāsa durmedhā huṅkṛtaś ca mahātmanā || 1.23.11 ||
“Here Kandarpa once dwelt embodied; the wise call him Kāma. In this place, when Lord Sthāṇu (Śiva), lord of the gods, was absorbed in austere discipline—together with his newly wedded consort—Kāma, foolish in intent, harassed him while passing by with the hosts of the Maruts; and the great Lord uttered a terrible roar.”
When the night turned into day-break, the eminent ascetic Viswamitra, addressing the descendants of Kakutstha (Rama and Lakshmana) who were lying on a bed of leaves said:
Dharma as restraint and reverence: desire (kāma) becomes destructive when it violates tapas and disrespects the sacred; discipline protects truth and spiritual order.
Viśvāmitra begins a local sacred-history: Kāma/Kandarpa offends Śiva during his austerity, prompting Śiva’s fierce response.
Śiva’s unwavering tapas (self-mastery) contrasted with Kāma’s lack of discernment—highlighting the Ramayana’s esteem for self-control.