Shloka 25
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 181 — Svayaṃvara Aftermath: Arjuna–Karna Exchange and Bhīma–Śalya Contest
न हि सस्मार स नृपस्तं शापं काममोहितः । देव्या: सो5थ वच:ः श्रुत्वा सम्भ्रान्तो नृपसत्तम:
na hi sasmāra sa nṛpas taṁ śāpaṁ kāmamohitaḥ | devyāḥ so 'tha vacaḥ śrutvā sambhrānto nṛpasattamaḥ ||
El rey, cegado por el deseo, no recordó aquella maldición. Pero al oír las palabras de la reina, el mejor de los reyes quedó profundamente turbado y confuso.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
Desire can cloud memory and judgment, causing one to forget even grave moral constraints; when truth is recalled—often through the counsel of a virtuous person—one is forced to face the ethical consequences of prior actions.
The king, overcome by desire, has forgotten a curse affecting him. When the queen speaks and he hears her words, he becomes alarmed and confused, realizing the serious implication of what he had neglected to remember.