Shloka 3

Mātali’s Proposal for Guṇakeśī and Sumukha’s Audience with Indra

Devanagari script

श्वेताचलनिभाकारो दिव्याभरणभूषित: । सहसत धारयन्‌ मूर्थ्ना ज्वालाजिह्दो महाबल:,भगवान्‌ शेषका शरीर कैलास पर्वतके समान श्वेत है। ये सहख्न मस्तक धारण करते हैं। इनकी जिह्ला अग्निकी ज्वालाके समान जान पड़ती है। ये महाबली अनन्त दिव्य आभूषणोंसे विभूषित होते हैं

Transliteration

śvetācalanibhākāro divyābharaṇabhūṣitaḥ | sahasraśīrṣaṃ dhārayan mūrdhnā jvālājihvo mahābalaḥ ||

Translation

Nārada sprach: „Er erscheint wie ein weißer Berg, geschmückt mit göttlichem Schmuck. Tausend Häupter trägt er auf seinem Scheitel; seine Zunge gleicht einer Feuerflamme, und seine Kraft ist gewaltig.“

Word by Word

श्वेताचलनिभाकारःwhose form is like a white mountain

दिव्याभरणभूषितःadorned with divine ornaments

सहस्रत्thousands (of)

धारयन्bearing, holding

मूर्ध्नाwith (his) head

ज्वालाजिह्वःwhose tongue is (like) flame

महाबलःof great strength

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Śeṣa/Ananta (implied by sahasraśīrṣa and the Gītā Press gloss)

Kailāsa (from the accompanying Hindi gloss)

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 divine majesty as a sign of cosmic responsibility: immense power (mahābala) is portrayed as ordered and sustaining (dhārayan), inspiring reverence and reminding listeners that true greatness supports dharma rather than serving ego.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is describing a formidable divine being—understood in context as Śeṣa/Ananta—using vivid epithets (white-mountain form, thousand heads, flame-like tongue, divine ornaments) to convey his cosmic stature and awe-inspiring presence.