Shloka 69
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
इच्छतोरत्र यो लाभ: स्त्रीपुंसोरमृतोपम: । अलाभ शक्षापि रक्तस्य सो5पि दोषो विषोपम:
icchator atra yo lābhaḥ strī-puṁsor amṛtopamaḥ | alābhaś cāpi raktasya so 'pi doṣo viṣopamaḥ ||
Janaka dit : «Quand une femme et un homme se désirent l’un l’autre, le fruit de leur union et la joie de cette rencontre sont doux comme le nectar. Mais si celui qui est profondément attaché n’obtient pas l’être aimé, ce manque même devient une faute—terrible comme le poison.»
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mutual desire can make union feel nectar-like, but attachment (rāga) makes non-attainment poisonous; therefore one should govern desire and avoid clinging that turns absence into suffering and ethical downfall.
King Janaka is speaking in a reflective, didactic context in Śānti Parva, using the contrast of nectar and poison to explain how desire and attachment shape human experience of relationships—pleasure when fulfilled, harm when frustrated.