Shloka 26
Adhyāya 125: Raṅga-pradarśana — Arjuna’s Entry and Astric Demonstration (रङ्गप्रदर्शनम्)
मां चाभिगम्य क्षीणो5यं कामाद् भरतसत्तम: । तमुच्छिन्द्यामस्य कामं कथं नु यमसादने
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
māṁ cābhigamya kṣīṇo 'yaṁ kāmād bharatasattamaḥ |
tam ucchindyām asya kāmaṁ kathaṁ nu yamasādane ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Setelah mendekat dan bersatu denganku, yang terbaik di antara para Bharata ini binasa, terkikis oleh nafsu. Maka, bagaimana di kediaman Yama aku dapat memutus dan mengakhiri hasratnya itu?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked kāma (desire) is portrayed as destructive, leading to ruin even for the noble; ethical reflection includes the responsibility to remedy harm and to sever the root of craving, not merely its outward acts.
The speaker reports that a Bharata noble, driven by lust, approached and united with the woman speaking (implied by “mām”), and died as a result; she then wonders how she can reach the realm of Yama and extinguish his lingering desire there.