Shloka 17
शूरलक्षणवर्णनम् | Marks and Typologies of Martial Temperament
उद्धता इव सुग्रीवा विनताविहगा इव । पिण्डशीर्षातिवक्त्रा श्व वृषदंशमुखास्तथा
uddhatā iva sugrīvā vinatāvihagā iva | piṇḍaśīrṣātivaktrāś ca vṛṣadaṁśamukhās tathā ||
Bhīṣma said: “Some men are impetuous and overbearing—like Sugrīva-like horses—and restless by nature like the birds of Vinatā (Garuḍa’s kind). Some have rounded heads and excessively large mouths; others have faces like a biting bull-dog. Such types are harsh-voiced, quick to anger, and roam about roaring in battle. They lack discernment of dharma, are swollen with pride, and appear terrifying; even the mere sight of them inspires fear.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns that outwardly fearsome, loud, and aggressive temperaments—marked by pride and uncontrolled anger—often correlate with a lack of dharma-jñāna (ethical discernment). The passage critiques intimidation and battle-roaring as signs of inner disorder rather than virtue.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and conduct. Here he describes certain harsh, terrifying human types through vivid animal and mythic similes (Sugrīva-type horses; Vinatā’s birds), emphasizing their violent disposition and ethical blindness.