Shloka 37

Kaurava Court Hears of the Pāṇḍavas’ Forest Hardship (वैचित्रवीर्यवंशीयस्य राज्ञः करुणाविचारः)

Devanagari script

निरुष्य तत्र सुचिरमेवं वल्निर्वशं गत: । मनस्तासु विनिक्षिप्य कामयानो वराड़ना:

Transliteration

niruṣya tatra suciram evaṁ valnir vaśaṁ gataḥ | manas tāsu vinikṣipya kāmayāno varāṅganāḥ ||

Translation

马尔坎德耶说道：他在那里克制良久，终究还是落入情欲的支配。将心念系于那些女子，他开始渴慕那群体态姣好的佳人。

Word by Word

निरुष्यhaving confined/kept in check

तत्रthere

सुचिरम्for a long time

एवम्thus

वल्नीthe ant-hill (valmī)

निर्वशम्helpless/under control

गतःhaving gone / having become

मनःmind

तासुin/among those (women/things)

विनिक्षिप्यhaving placed/settled

कामयानःdesiring

वराङ्गनाःbeautiful women

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical danger of losing inner mastery: when the mind is fixed on sense-objects, even long restraint can collapse into desire. Dharma here is linked to vigilant mental discipline, not merely outward control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya narrates a moment where a person, after long restraint, becomes overpowered by passion; his mind turns toward certain women, and he begins to desire them—marking a turning point from restraint to infatuation.