Shloka 12
अलर्कोपाख्यानम् — Indriya-Nigraha and Yogic Victory
Mahābhārata 14.30
अलर्क उवाच इयं स्वादून् रसान् भुक्त्वा तानेव प्रतिगृध्यति । तस्माज्जिद्धां प्रति शरान् प्रतिमोक्ष्याम्पहं शितान्
alarka uvāca: iyaṃ svādūn rasān bhuktvā tān eva pratigṛdhyati | tasmāj jihvāṃ prati śarān pratimokṣyāmy ahaṃ śitān ||
Alarka dijo: «Esta lengua, tras haber gozado de sabores dulces, sigue anhelando esos mismos gustos. Por eso ahora soltaré mis flechas afiladas contra la lengua misma».
अलर्क उवाच
Educational Q&A
Repeated desire is sustained by the senses themselves; ethical discipline targets the source of craving (the tongue/appetite) rather than endlessly pursuing pleasurable objects.
Alarka personifies the tongue as a persistent seeker of pleasure and declares a dramatic resolve to ‘shoot arrows’ at it—an image for forcefully restraining appetite and conquering desire through inner austerity.