Shloka 18
Cavana’s Tests of Kuśika and the Queen (अध्याय ५३: च्यवन–कुशिक-परिक्षा)
अभीतरूपा: संहृष्टा अन्योन्यवशवर्तिन: । बबन्धुस्तत्र मत्स्यांश्व तथान्यान् जलचारिण:
abhītarūpāḥ saṁhṛṣṭā anyonyavaśavartinaḥ | babandhus tatra matsyāṁś ca tathānyān jalacāriṇaḥ ||
Charmés par leurs propres formes plaisantes et transportés d’allégresse, ils se mouvaient sous l’emprise les uns des autres ; et là, ils lièrent étroitement les poissons, ainsi que d’autres créatures qui se meuvent dans les eaux.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse hints at an ethical caution: exhilaration and mutual attraction can become mutual domination, leading to the restraint or exploitation of others. It invites reflection on self-control (saṁyama) and the moral cost of turning living beings into objects of possession.
Bhīṣma describes a scene where beings—delighted and mutually swayed—proceed to bind fishes and other aquatic creatures. The imagery conveys capture and control within a setting involving water-dwelling life.