Shloka 8
धृतराष्ट्र–दुर्योधन संवादः
Vāraṇāvata-vivāsana-nīti: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana’s Policy Dialogue
तामेकवसनां दृष्टवा गौतमो5प्सरसं वने । लोके<प्रतिमसंस्थानां प्रोत्फूल्लनयनो5भवत्,गौतमने एक वस्त्र धारण करनेवाली उस अप्सराको वनमें देखा। संसारमें उसके सुन्दर शरीरकी कहीं तुलना नहीं थी। उसे देखकर शरद्वानके नेत्र प्रसन्नतासे खिल उठे
tām ekavasanāṃ dṛṣṭvā gautamo ’psarasaṃ vane | loke ’pratima-saṃsthānāṃ protphullanayano ’bhavat ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Al ver en el bosque a aquella apsara, vestida con una sola prenda y de figura sin igual en el mundo, los ojos de Gautama florecieron de deleite; su mente se agitó ante su belleza extraordinaria.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical pressure-point in dharma literature: even a sage’s senses can be stirred by beauty, so self-restraint (saṃyama) is not merely assumed but continually tested—especially in solitude and liminal spaces like the forest.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Gautama encounters an apsaras in the forest, dressed in a single garment and of incomparable beauty; on seeing her, his eyes brighten with delight, indicating the onset of attraction and the narrative’s impending conflict between ascetic discipline and desire.