Shloka 8
धृतराष्ट्र–दुर्योधन संवादः
Vāraṇāvata-vivāsana-nīti: Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Duryodhana’s Policy Dialogue
तामेकवसनां दृष्टवा गौतमो5प्सरसं वने । लोके<प्रतिमसंस्थानां प्रोत्फूल्लनयनो5भवत्,गौतमने एक वस्त्र धारण करनेवाली उस अप्सराको वनमें देखा। संसारमें उसके सुन्दर शरीरकी कहीं तुलना नहीं थी। उसे देखकर शरद्वानके नेत्र प्रसन्नतासे खिल उठे
tām ekavasanāṃ dṛṣṭvā gautamo ’psarasaṃ vane | loke ’pratima-saṃsthānāṃ protphullanayano ’bhavat ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Ao ver naquela floresta a apsara, vestida com uma única peça e dotada de forma sem par no mundo, os olhos de Gautama floresceram de deleite—e sua mente foi agitada por tamanha beleza.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical pressure-point in dharma literature: even a sage’s senses can be stirred by beauty, so self-restraint (saṃyama) is not merely assumed but continually tested—especially in solitude and liminal spaces like the forest.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Gautama encounters an apsaras in the forest, dressed in a single garment and of incomparable beauty; on seeing her, his eyes brighten with delight, indicating the onset of attraction and the narrative’s impending conflict between ascetic discipline and desire.