Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 13
तां त्वकामयत श्रीमान् वरुण: पूर्वमेव ह । स चागम्य वनप्रस्थं यमुनायां जहार ताम्
tāṁ tv akāmayata śrīmān varuṇaḥ pūrvam eva ha | sa cāgamya vanaprasthaṁ yamunāyāṁ jahāra tām ||
Mula pa lamang ay ninasa na ng maringal na si Varuṇa ang dalagang iyon. Dumating siya sa ashram ng ermitanyong naninirahan sa gubat, at habang naliligo ang dalaga sa Yamunā, siya’y kinuha at dinala palayo.
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical danger of kāma (desire) when it overrides dharma: even a powerful being’s desire can lead to adharma-like conduct (abduction), underscoring that moral restraint—not mere power or status—should govern action.
Arjuna narrates that Varuṇa had long desired a certain maiden; he came near a forest ascetic’s hermitage and abducted her while she was bathing in the river Yamunā.