Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 8

Adhyāya 6: Kaṅka (Yudhiṣṭhira) Seeks Refuge in Virāṭa’s Assembly

Devanagari script

चतुर्भुजे चतुर्वक्त्रे पीनश्रोणिपयोधरे । मयूरपिच्छवलये केयूराजड़रदधारिणि । भासि देवि यथा पद्मा नारायणपरिग्रह:

Transliteration

caturbhuje caturvaktre pīnaśroṇipayodhare | mayūrapicchavalaye keyūrājaṭaraddhāriṇi | bhāsi devi yathā padmā nārāyaṇaparigrahaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Göttin, vierarmig und viergesichtig, mit vollen Hüften und Brüsten; geschmückt mit einem Reif aus Pfauenfedern, mit Armspangen und verfilzten Locken—du leuchtest wie ein Lotos, als wärest du von Nārāyaṇa umfangen.“

Word by Word

• चतुर्भुजे: O four-armed (one)
• चतुर्भुजे: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्भुज
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• चतुर्वक्त्रे: O four-faced (one)
• चतुर्वक्त्रे: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्वक्त्र
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• पीनश्रोणिपयोधरे: O (one) with full hips and breasts
• पीनश्रोणिपयोधरे: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीनश्रोणिपयोधर
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• मयूरपिच्छवलये: O (one) with a peacock-feather bracelet/garland
• मयूरपिच्छवलये: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मयूरपिच्छवलय
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• केयूराजङ्गदधारिणि: O wearer of armlets and bracelets
• केयूराजङ्गदधारिणि: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केयूराजङ्गदधारिणी
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• भासि: you shine
• भासि: Kriya
• Type: Verb
• Root: भा
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Parasmaipada

• देवि: O goddess
• देवि: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी
• Form: Feminine, Vocative, Singular

• यथा: as, like
• यथा: Avyaya
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• पद्मा: Padmā (Lakṣmī)
• पद्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्मा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नारायणपरिग्रहः: whose consort is Nārāyaṇa / embraced by Nārāyaṇa
• नारायणपरिग्रहः: Visheshana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायणपरिग्रह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Devī
• Nārāyaṇa
• Padmā (Śrī/Lakṣmī)
• mayūrapiccha (peacock-feather ornament)
• keyūra (armlets)
• jaṭā (matted locks)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse functions as a devotional-stylistic praise: it highlights divine splendor and auspicious association with Nārāyaṇa, implying that true radiance and prosperity (Padmā/Śrī) are grounded in dharmic, divine alignment rather than mere external beauty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates a description of a goddess-like figure, detailing her iconographic features (four arms, four faces, ornaments, matted locks) and comparing her radiance to Padmā (Śrī/Lakṣmī), explicitly linking her to Nārāyaṇa as his embraced/associated consort.