Ramayana — Bala Kanda, Sarga 23, Shloka 10
कामाश्रम
प्रवेशः / Entry into Kāma’s Hermitage at the Sarayū–Gaṅgā Confluence
कन्दर्पो मूर्तिमानासीत्काम इत्युच्यते बुधै:।तपस्यन्तमिह स्थाणुं नियमेन समाहितम्।।।।कृतोद्वाहं तु देवेशं गच्छन्तं समरुद्गगणम्।धर्षयामास दुर्मेधा हुङ्कृतश्च महात्मना।।।।
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 ||
«Aquí moró antaño Kandarpa en forma corpórea; los sabios lo llaman Kāma. En este lugar, cuando el Señor Sthāṇu (Śiva), soberano de los dioses, estaba absorto en austera disciplina—junto a su recién desposada consorte—Kāma, de torpe entendimiento, lo importunó al pasar con las huestes de los Maruts; y el Gran Señor lanzó un terrible bramido.»
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:
FAQs
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.