Shloka 10
Diti’s Untimely Desire and the Birth-Cause of the Asura Line
Prelude to Hiranyākṣa–Varāha
दितिरुवाच एष मां त्वत्कृते विद्वन् काम आत्तशरासन: । दुनोति दीनां विक्रम्य रम्भामिव मतङ्गज: ॥ १० ॥
ditir uvāca eṣa māṁ tvat-kṛte vidvan kāma ātta-śarāsanaḥ dunoti dīnāṁ vikramya rambhām iva mataṅgajaḥ
Sinabi ni Diti: “O marunong, dahil sa iyo ay itinaas ni Kāma-deva ang busog at mga palaso at ako’y pinahihirapan nang sapilitan, gaya ng baliw na elepanteng yumuyurak sa punong saging.”
Beautiful Diti, seeing her husband absorbed in trance, began to speak loudly, not attempting to attract him by bodily expressions. She frankly said that her whole body was distressed by sex desire because of her husband’s presence, just as a banana tree is troubled by a mad elephant. It was not natural for her to agitate her husband when he was in trance, but she could not control her strong sexual appetite. Her sex desire was like a mad elephant, and therefore it was the prime duty of her husband to give her all protection by fulfilling her desire.
FAQs
This verse portrays kāma as a force that can overpower a person when the mind becomes fixed on sense desire; the narrative warns that unchecked passion leads to harmful consequences and calls for restraint and right conduct.
Diti, overwhelmed by desire, appeals to her husband Kashyapa, confessing that Cupid is tormenting her specifically for his sake, pressing him to fulfill her request despite the inauspicious time described in the chapter.
Recognize desire as a powerful impulse, pause before acting, and choose discipline and appropriate boundaries—so decisions are guided by dharma rather than momentary agitation.