Shloka 69
ब्राह्मणानुयात्रा—शौनकोपदेशः
Brāhmaṇas Follow into Exile and Śaunaka’s Instruction
ततः संकल्पबीजेन कामेन विषयेषुभि: । विद्धः पतति लोभाग्नौ ज्योतिर्लोभात् पतड़वत्,तदनन्तर संकल्प ही जिसका बीज है, उस कामके द्वारा विषयरूपी बाणोंसे बिंधकर मनुष्य ज्योतिके लोभसे पतंगकी भाँति लोभकी आगमें गिर पड़ता है
tataḥ saṅkalpa-bījena kāmena viṣayeṣubhiḥ | viddhaḥ patati lobhāgnau jyotir-lobhāt pataṅgavat ||
Kemudian, didorong oleh nafsu yang benihnya hanyalah tekad batin, tertusuk panah-panah berupa objek indria, seseorang jatuh ke dalam api ketamakan—seperti ngengat yang karena mendamba cahaya, menerjang nyala api.
शौनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
A small inner resolve (saṅkalpa) can become the seed of desire (kāma). When desire chases sense-objects, it wounds discernment and leads one into greed (lobha), which consumes like fire. The moth-and-flame image teaches that attraction to a seemingly bright object can end in ruin if not governed by restraint.
Śaunaka is describing a moral chain-reaction: intention gives rise to desire; desire, through engagement with sense-objects, ‘pierces’ a person; and the person then plunges into the destructive blaze of greed—illustrated by the moth that rushes toward light and perishes in fire.