विभाण्डक उवाच
रक्षांसि चैतानि चरन्ति पुत्र; रूपेण तेनाद्भुतदर्शनेन ॥
अतुल्यरूपाण्य् अतिघोरवन्ति; विघ्नं सदा तपसश् चिन्तयन्ति ॥
सुरूपरूपाणि च तानि तात; प्रलोभयन्ते विविधैर् उपायैः ॥
सुखाच् च लोकाच् च निपातयन्ति; तान्य् उग्रकर्माणि मुनीन् वनेषु ॥
न तानि सेवेत मुनिर् यतात्मा; सतां लोकान् प्रार्थयानः कथं चित् ॥
कृत्वा विघ्नं तापसानां रमन्ते; पापाचारास् तपसस् तान्य् अपाप ॥
असज्जनेनाचरितानि पुत्र; पापान्य् अपेयानि मधूनि तानि ॥
माल्यानि चैतानि न वै मुनीनां; स्मृतानि चित्रोज्ज्वलगन्धवन्ति ॥
लोमश उवाच
रक्षांसि तानीति निवार्य पुत्रं; विभाण्डकस् तां मृगयां बभूव ॥
नासादयाम् आस यदा त्र्यहेण; तदा स पर्याववृते ऽऽश्रमाय ॥
यदा पुनः काश्यपो वै जगाम; फलान्य् आहर्तुं विधिना श्रामणेन ॥
तदा पुनर् लोभयितुं जगाम; सा वेशयोषा मुनिम् ऋश्यशृङ्गम् ॥
दृष्ट्वैव ताम् ऋश्यशृङ्गः प्रहृष्टः; संभ्रान्तरूपो ऽभ्यपतत् तदानीम् ॥
प्रोवाच चैनां भवतो ऽऽश्रमाय; गच्छाव यावन् न पिता ममैति ॥
ततो राजन् काश्यपस्यैकपुत्रं; प्रवेश्य योगेन विमुच्य नावम् ॥
प्रलोभयन्त्यो विविधैर् उपायैर्; आजग्मुर् अङ्गाधिपतेः समीपम् ॥
vibhāṇḍaka uvāca
rakṣāṃsi caitāni caranti putra; rūpeṇa tenādbhutadarśanena ||
atulyarūpāṇy atighoravanti; vighnaṃ sadā tapasaś cintayanti ||
surūparūpāṇi ca tāni tāta; pralobhayante vividhair upāyaiḥ ||
sukhāc ca lokāc ca nipātayanti; tāny ugrakarmāṇi munīn vaneṣu ||
na tāni seveta munir yatātmā; satāṃ lokān prārthayānaḥ kathaṃ cit ||
kṛtvā vighnaṃ tāpasānāṃ ramante; pāpācārās tapasas tāny apāpa ||
asajjanenācaritāni putra; pāpāny apeyāni madhūni tāni ||
mālyāni caitāni na vai munīnāṃ; smṛtāni citrojjvalagandhavanti ||
lomaśa uvāca
rakṣāṃsi tānīti nivārya putraṃ; vibhāṇḍakas tāṃ mṛgayāṃ babhūva ||
nāsādayām āsa yadā tryaheṇa; tadā sa paryāvavṛte ''śramāya ||
yadā punaḥ kāśyapo vai jagāma; phalāny āhartuṃ vidhinā śrāmaṇena ||
tadā punar lobhayituṃ jagāma; sā veśayoṣā munim ṛśyaśṛṅgam ||
dṛṣṭvaiva tām ṛśyaśṛṅgaḥ prahṛṣṭaḥ; saṃbhrāntarūpo 'bhyapatat tadānīm ||
provāca caināṃ bhavato ''śramāya; gacchāva yāvan na pitā mamaiti ||
tato rājan kāśyapasyaikaputraṃ; praveśya yogena vimucya nāvam ||
pralobhayantyo vividhair upāyair; ājagmur aṅgādhipateḥ samīpam ||
Vibhandaka said: "Son, these are rakshasas who go about in such a wondrous form. They are incomparably beautiful and utterly terrible, ever pondering how to hinder tapas. By their lovely appearance, child, they seduce by various means and cast forest sages down from the happy world. An ascetic who governs himself and desires the worlds of the saintly must never serve them in any way. Evil in their conduct, they rejoice when they create an obstacle to the tapas of ascetics. These drinks, son, are begotten by wicked people, sinful and unfit for use; and these many-hued, radiant, fragrant garlands are not held to belong to sages." Having turned his son away with the words "these are rakshasas," Vibhandaka went to search for her. Not finding her in three days, he returned to the ashram. When Kashyapa again, by the rule of the ascetic, went out for fruit, that courtesan came once more to tempt the sage Rishyashringa. The moment he saw her, Rishyashringa was overjoyed, grew flustered, and rushed toward her. He said: "Let us go to your ashram before my father returns." Then, O king, they led the sole son of Kashyapa onto a boat, and having cunningly cast it loose, they brought him, seducing him by various means, to the lord of the Angas."
8b21abb37fbc · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:02:54 PM UTC
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Vibhandaka's warning is true but comes too late: a prohibition without inner understanding does not hold the heart. Rishyashringa is no longer seeking truth but the repetition of a rapture already tasted.