Shloka 43
पूरोर्वशे हि ये पुत्रा नप्तारो वा त्विहागता: । तपसा रमयन्त्यस्मान्न च तेषां व्यतिक्रम:,पूर॒ुवंशके कितने ही पोते-नाती तपस्या करके यहाँ आते हैं और वे हम सब अप्सराओंके साथ रमण करते हैं। इसमें उनका कोई अपराध नहीं समझा जाता। मानद! मुझपर प्रसन्न होओ। मैं कामवेदनासे पीड़ित हूँ, मेरा त्याग न करो। मैं तुम्हारी भक्त हूँ और मदनाग्निसे दग्ध हो रही हूँ; अतः मुझे अंगीकार करो
pūror vaśe hi ye putrā naptāro vā tv ihāgatāḥ | tapasā ramayanty asmān na ca teṣāṃ vyatikramaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Indeed, those sons or grandsons of Puru’s line who come here, after practicing austerities, take pleasure with us Apsarases; and no transgression is imputed to them for it. O venerable one, be gracious to me. I am tormented by desire—do not abandon me. I am devoted to you and am being scorched by the fire of Love; therefore accept me.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a culturally specific ethical claim: when descendants of Puru arrive after austerities, their enjoyment with Apsarases is treated as non-transgressive. It highlights how dharma can be contextual—status, setting, and prior tapas are invoked to argue that an act is not counted as a fault—while also showing how desire seeks moral legitimation.
The speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) conveys an Apsaras’s plea: she argues that Puru’s descendants traditionally sport with Apsarases without blame, and she asks the addressed man to accept her, saying she is afflicted by desire and burning with love.