Shloka 69
Śuka’s Guṇa-Transcendence and Vyāsa’s Consolation (शुकगति-वर्णनम्)
इच्छतोरत्र यो लाभ: स्त्रीपुंसोरमृतोपम: । अलाभ शक्षापि रक्तस्य सो5पि दोषो विषोपम:
icchator atra yo lābhaḥ strī-puṁsor amṛtopamaḥ | alābhaś cāpi raktasya so 'pi doṣo viṣopamaḥ ||
阇那迦说：“当男女彼此相慕之时，他们相会相合所得之乐，甘甜如甘露；但若深陷执著之人不能得其所爱，这缺失本身便成过失——可怖如毒。”
जनक उवाच
Educational Q&A
Mutual desire can make union feel nectar-like, but attachment (rāga) makes non-attainment poisonous; therefore one should govern desire and avoid clinging that turns absence into suffering and ethical downfall.
King Janaka is speaking in a reflective, didactic context in Śānti Parva, using the contrast of nectar and poison to explain how desire and attachment shape human experience of relationships—pleasure when fulfilled, harm when frustrated.