Shloka 18
Agastya’s Encounter with Ilvala and Vātāpi; Dāna, Progeny, and the Renown of Agastya-Āśrama
इच्छामि त्वां स्रग्विणं च भूषणैश्न विभूषितम् । उपसर्तु यथाकामं दिव्याभरणभूषिता,“मैं चाहती हूँ कि आप सुन्दर हार और आभूषणोंसे विभूषित हों और मैं भी दिव्य अलंकारोंसे अलंकृत हो इच्छानुसार आपके साथ समागम-सुखका अनुभव करूँ
icchāmi tvāṁ sragviṇaṁ ca bhūṣaṇaiś ca vibhūṣitam | upasartuṁ yathākāmaṁ divyābharaṇabhūṣitā ||
“Ta muốn thấy ngài khoác vòng hoa, đeo châu báu rực rỡ; còn ta, được trang sức bằng những bảo vật như của cõi trời, sẽ tùy ý đến bên ngài để nếm trọn khoái lạc của cuộc hòa hợp.”
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between kāma (desire) and dharma (restraint and right conduct). It illustrates how allure and luxury can be used to entice, thereby testing a person’s self-mastery and adherence to propriety.
A speaker expresses a wish to see the other person richly adorned and declares her own intention—also ornamented—to approach and enjoy union at will. The moment functions as an episode of seduction/temptation within the broader Vana Parva narrative.