Shloka 18
Cavana’s Tests of Kuśika and the Queen (अध्याय ५३: च्यवन–कुशिक-परिक्षा)
अभीतरूपा: संहृष्टा अन्योन्यवशवर्तिन: । बबन्धुस्तत्र मत्स्यांश्व तथान्यान् जलचारिण:
abhītarūpāḥ saṁhṛṣṭā anyonyavaśavartinaḥ | babandhus tatra matsyāṁś ca tathānyān jalacāriṇaḥ ||
Nalugod sila sa sariling kaaya-ayang anyo at nag-uumapaw sa tuwa; kumikilos sila sa ilalim ng paghahari ng isa’t isa. At doon ay ginapos nila ang mga isda, gayundin ang iba pang nilalang na gumagalaw sa tubig.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse hints at an ethical caution: exhilaration and mutual attraction can become mutual domination, leading to the restraint or exploitation of others. It invites reflection on self-control (saṁyama) and the moral cost of turning living beings into objects of possession.
Bhīṣma describes a scene where beings—delighted and mutually swayed—proceed to bind fishes and other aquatic creatures. The imagery conveys capture and control within a setting involving water-dwelling life.