ततो जालपदीं नाम देवकन्यां सुरेश्वरः ॥
प्राहिणोत् तपसो विघ्नं कुरु तस्येति कौरव ॥
साभिगम्याश्रमपदं रमणीयं शरद्वतः ॥
धनुर्बाणधरं बाला लोभयाम् आस गौतमम् ॥
ताम् एकवसनां दृष्ट्वा गौतमो ऽप्सरसं वने ॥
लोके ऽप्रतिमसंस्थानाम् उत्फुल्लनयनो ऽभवत् ॥
धनुश् च हि शराश् चास्य कराभ्यां प्रापतन् भुवि ॥
वेपथुश् चास्य तां दृष्ट्वा शरीरे समजायत ॥
tato jālapadīṃ nāma devakanyāṃ sureśvaraḥ ||
prāhiṇot tapaso vighnaṃ kuru tasyeti kaurava ||
sābhigamyāśramapadaṃ ramaṇīyaṃ śaradvataḥ ||
dhanurbāṇadharaṃ bālā lobhayām āsa gautamam ||
tām ekavasanāṃ dṛṣṭvā gautamo 'psarasaṃ vane ||
loke 'pratimasaṃsthānām utphullanayano 'bhavat ||
dhanuś ca hi śarāś cāsya karābhyāṃ prāpatan bhuvi ||
vepathuś cāsya tāṃ dṛṣṭvā śarīre samajāyata ||
"Then the lord of the gods sent a divine maiden named Jalapadi: 'Work a hindrance to his austerity,' O Kaurava. She, coming to the lovely hermitage of Sharadvat, began to tempt Gautama, who held bow and arrows. Seeing that apsaras in a single garment in the forest, of unmatched form in the world, Gautama opened wide his eyes; both bow and arrows fell from his hands to the ground, and a trembling arose in his body at the sight of her."
b3bfe4ff9077 · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:41:49 PM UTC
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Here Indra again employs his tried weapon — the temptation of beauty. It is significant that even a formidable ascetic, a master of weapons, is struck down by the mere sight of a beautiful maiden: the bow falls from his hands, his body trembles. Here is shown the fearsome power of kama even over the great: as Pandu fell, as Vishvamitra and other sages were shaken, so Sharadvan too wavers. It is significant that heaven deliberately sends temptation against austerity: passion is the trial by which an unsteadied spirit is tested and broken. The lesson here is this: the strength of tapas alone is not enough against desire until the senses are fully mastered; and so an ascetic who has not guarded his heart is vulnerable at the very height of his greatness. Thus scripture shows the moment of temptation that will turn into the wondrous birth of Kripa.