Verse 18

Yagyavalkya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

केशकज्जलधारिण्यो दुःस्पर्शा लोचनप्रियाः ।

दुष्कृताग्निशिखा नार्यो दहन्ति तृणवन्नरम् ॥१८॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

केश-कज्जल-धारिण्यः । दुः-स्पर्शाः । लोचन-प्रियाः ।

दुष्कृत-अग्नि-शिखाः । नार्यः । दहन्ति । तृण-वत् । नरम् ॥१८॥

IAST Transliteration

keśakajjaladhāriṇyo duḥsparśā locanapriyāḥ |

duṣkṛtāgniśikhā nāryo dahanti tṛṇavan naram ||18||

Translation

Women, bearing hair and collyrium, hard to touch yet pleasing to the eyes—like flames of the fire of misdeeds—burn a man as if he were grass.

Academic Translation

Women, bearing hair and collyrium, hard to touch yet pleasing to the eyes—like flames of the fire of misdeeds—burn a man as if (he were) grass.

Verse Context

• Kāma–rāga as bondage; vairāgya and indriya-nigraha (sense-control) as aids to mokṣa
• Mahavakya: Indirect: emphasizes removal of obstacles (rāga-dveṣa) so that mahāvākya contemplation can culminate in aparokṣa-jñāna; no direct mahāvākya content.
• Yajur
• Śukla-Yajurveda (Vājasaneyī) Shakha
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)