Shloka 23
Adhyāya 14: Sudēṣṇā Sends Sairandhrī to Kīcaka’s House (सुदेष्णा–सैरन्ध्री–कीचक संवादः)
दृष्टवैव चारु जघनं सरित्पुलिनसंनिभम् । कामव्याधिरसाध्यो मामप्याक्रामति भामिनि,'भामिनि! नदीके दो किनारोंके समान तुम्हारे मनोहर जघनको देख लेनेसे ही कामरूपी असाध्य रोग मुझ-जैसे वीरपर भी आक्रमण कर रहा है
dṛṣṭvaiva cāru jaghanaṃ sarit-pulina-sannibham | kāma-vyādhir asādhyo mām apy ākrāmati bhāmini ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai wanita yang berapi! Baru sahaja melihat pinggulmu yang elok, laksana tebing-tebing sungai, penyakit yang tiada penawarnya—iaitu nafsu—menyerangku, bahkan aku yang bergelar pahlawan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how powerful kāma (desire) can be—so strong that it is described as an “incurable disease” capable of overpowering even a self-confident or heroic person. Ethically, it underscores the need for vigilance and self-restraint, since attraction can destabilize judgment.
In the course of the Virāṭa narrative, a speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) voices intense attraction toward a woman, using a poetic simile comparing her hips to riverbanks. The line functions as flirtatious/erotic speech that conveys the speaker’s being overwhelmed by desire.