Shloka 23
अर्जुनस्य तीर्थयात्रा तथा मणलूर-सम्बन्धः
Arjuna’s Pilgrimage and the Maṇalūra Alliance
अप्सरा देवकन्या वा कस्य चैषा तिलोत्तमा | यस्या: कामेन सम्मत्तौ जघ्नतुस्तौ परस्परम्,यह तिलोत्तमा अप्सरा थी? किसी देवताकी कन्या थी? तथा वह किसके अधिकारमें थी, जिसकी कामनासे उन्मत्त होकर उन्होंने एक-दूसरेको मार डाला
Nārada uvāca |
Apsarā devakanyā vā kasya caiṣā Tilottamā |
Yasyāḥ kāmena sammattau jaghnatus tau parasparam ||
Nārada disse: “Esta Tilottamā era uma apsarā, ou uma filha dos deuses? E a quem ela pertencia, ou a quem fora destinada—ela por cuja causa, enlouquecidos de desejo, aqueles dois se mataram um ao outro?”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked kāma (desire) can overpower discernment and dharma, driving even the strong into mutual destruction; the verse frames an ethical warning by highlighting how infatuation becomes a cause of violence.
Nārada asks for Tilottamā’s identity and status—whether she is an apsaras or a divine maiden, and to whom she was attached—because two men, inflamed by desire for her, ended up killing each other.