Shloka 13
तां त्वकामयत श्रीमान् वरुण: पूर्वमेव ह । स चागम्य वनप्रस्थं यमुनायां जहार ताम्
tāṁ tv akāmayata śrīmān varuṇaḥ pūrvam eva ha | sa cāgamya vanaprasthaṁ yamunāyāṁ jahāra tām ||
Le glorieux Varuṇa avait désiré cette jeune fille dès l’origine. Il vint près de l’ermitage de l’ascète vivant en forêt et, tandis qu’elle se baignait dans la Yamunā, il l’emmena de force.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of kāma (desire) when it overrides dharma: even a powerful being’s desire can lead to adharma-like conduct (abduction), underscoring that moral restraint—not mere power or status—should govern action.
Arjuna narrates that Varuṇa had long desired a certain maiden; he came near a forest ascetic’s hermitage and abducted her while she was bathing in the river Yamunā.