Shloka 129

Devanagari script

दिव्यमाल्याम्बरधरो दिव्यगन्धानुलेपन:

Transliteration

divyamālyāmbaradharo divyagandhānulepanaḥ

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “He is adorned with celestial garlands and garments, and anointed with divine fragrances.”

Word by Word

• दिव्य: divine, celestial
• दिव्य: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• माल्य-अम्बर-धरः: wearing garlands and garments
• माल्य-अम्बर-धरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर (धृ)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दिव्य: divine, celestial
• दिव्य: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• गन्ध-अनुलेपनः: having fragrant unguents; anointed with perfumes
• गन्ध-अनुलेपनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुलेपन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• divine garlands (mālya)
• divine garments (ambara)
• divine fragrance/anointing (gandhānulepana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses divine adornment as a moral-symbolic marker: true excellence and purity are portrayed as radiance and auspicious fragrance, suggesting that inner virtue (dharma, merit, devotion) manifests as an elevated, sanctifying presence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing a revered, exalted figure in vivid, celestial terms—garlands, garments, and fragrant anointing—typical of Mahābhārata passages that depict divine or highly meritorious beings to underscore their sanctity and authority.