Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 21
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
तस्य तत् कुर्वतः कर्म कालो दीर्घ इवाभवत् । अनुचिन्तयतश्नचापि तामेवायतलोचनाम्
tasya tat kurvataḥ karma kālo dīrgha ivābhavat | anucintayataś cāpi tām evāyatalocanām ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Tandis qu’il s’occupait de cette tâche, le temps lui sembla s’étirer et devenir long. Et comme il ruminait sans cesse cette dame aux longs yeux (Draupadī), le moindre instant, sous l’impatience du désir, lui parut une durée immense.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked fixation and lust distort one’s sense of time and judgment, pushing a person toward unethical choices; the verse hints at how inner obsession becomes a driver of adharma.
While engaged in his undertaking, the man (contextually, Kīcaka in the Draupadī episode) keeps thinking of Draupadī; because of impatient longing, even a short interval feels unbearably long.