Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अलर्क उवाच दृष्टवा रूपाणि बहुशस्तानेव प्रतिगृध्यति । तस्माच्चक्षुर्हनिष्यामि निशितै: सायकैरहम्‌,अलर्क बोले--यह आँख भी अनेकों बार विभिन्न रूपोंका दर्शन करके पुन: उन्हींको देखना चाहती है। अतः मैं इसे अपने तीखे तीरोंसे मार डालूँगा

Transliteration

alarka uvāca dṛṣṭvā rūpāṇi bahuśas tāneva pratigṛdhyati | tasmāc cakṣur haniṣyāmi niśitaiḥ sāyakair aham ||

Translation

Alarka said: “Having seen forms again and again, this very eye keeps craving to look at those same objects once more. Therefore I shall destroy this eye with my sharp arrows.”

Word by Word

अलर्कःAlarka

उवाचsaid

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

रूपाणिforms/appearances

बहुशःmany times, repeatedly

तानिthose (same ones)

एवindeed, just

प्रतिगृध्यतिcraves/longs for again

तस्मात्therefore, from that reason

चक्षुःthe eye

हनिष्यामिI will kill/destroy

निशितैःwith sharp

सायकैःarrows

अहम्I

Speaker

अलर्क उवाच

Characters & Entities

Alarka

eye (cakṣuḥ)

arrows (sāyaka)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights indriya-nigraha (restraint of the senses): repeated seeing fuels renewed craving, so one must curb the sense-faculty that drives attachment. Alarka’s extreme resolve dramatizes the ethical point that unchecked perception can become a gateway to greed and bondage.

What is happening in the narrative?

Alarka reflects on how the eye, after repeatedly viewing attractive objects, continues to long for them. In a radical act of renunciation, he declares he will destroy his own eye with sharp arrows to end the cycle of seeing and craving.