Shloka 21
पराशरस्य राक्षससत्रनिवृत्तिः | Paraśara’s Rakṣasa-Satra and Its Cessation
यथा हि ते मया प्राणा: संगृहीता नरेश्वर । दर्शनादेव भूयस्त्वं तथा प्राणान् ममाहर:,नरेश्वर! जैसे आपके प्राण मेरे अधीन हैं, उसी प्रकार आपने भी दर्शनमात्रसे ही मेरे प्राणोंको हर लिया है
yathā hi te mayā prāṇāḥ saṅgṛhītā nareśvara | darśanād eva bhūyas tvaṃ tathā prāṇān mamāharaḥ ||
The Gandharva said: “O king, just as your life-breath has been held in my power, so too—by the mere sight of you—you have again taken away my very life-breath.” In context, the line conveys a reversal of power: physical dominance is answered by the moral and emotional force of presence, suggesting that true mastery can lie in inner radiance and the capacity to overwhelm another’s pride without further violence.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts outer control with inner influence: even if one can physically overpower another, a person’s presence, virtue, or charisma can ‘conquer’ the victor’s heart and pride. It hints that ethical and spiritual force can surpass brute strength.
A Gandharva addresses a king, acknowledging that although he had the king’s life in his grasp, the king’s very appearance has overwhelmed him in return—an admission of being inwardly defeated or captivated despite outward advantage.