Shloka 42
Adhyaya 18 — Alarka's Story
त्यक्त्वा देवान् स्त्रियं तां तु हर्तुकामा हतौजसः ।
तेन पापेन मुह्यन्तः संशक्तास्ते ततोऽब्रुवन् ॥
tyaktvā devān striyaṃ tāṃ tu hartukāmā hataujasaḥ | tena pāpena muhyantaḥ saṃśaktās te tato 'bruvan ||
देवताओं से युद्ध छोड़कर, जिनका पराक्रम क्षीण हो गया था, वे उस स्त्री को पकड़ लेने की इच्छा करने लगे; उसी पाप से मोहित होकर वे एकत्र हुए और फिर बोले।
FAQs
The Purāṇic ethic links intention to cognition: sinful intent (pāpa) produces delusion (moha), which in turn normalizes further wrongdoing. ‘Hata-ojas’ signals that adharma depletes inner strength.
Moral-psychological instruction via narrative; ancillary to the Purāṇa’s broader aims rather than a core pancalakṣaṇa enumeration.
When ojas declines, the will becomes porous; craving then ‘possesses’ the mind. The verse encodes a subtle law: the very act of intending harm clouds perception.