Shloka 13

Devanagari script

अष्टपाद॑ं तीक्ष्णदंष्टं सूचीभिरिव संवृतम्‌ । रोमभि: संनिरुद्धाड्रमलर्क नाम नामतः

Transliteration

aṣṭapādaṁ tīkṣṇadaṁṣṭraṁ sūcībhir iva saṁvṛtam | romabhiḥ saṁniruddhāḍhyaṁ malarka nāma nāmataḥ ||

Translation

Nārada said: “There was one called Malarka—eight-footed, sharp-fanged, as though covered with needles, and thickly enclosed by bristling hairs.”

Word by Word

अष्टपादम्eight-footed

तीक्ष्णदंष्टम्sharp-fanged

सूचीभिःwith needles/spines

इवas if/like

संवृतम्covered/enclosed

रोमभिःwith hairs

संनिरुद्धम्blocked/hemmed in

आद्रम्wet/moist

अलर्कनामa kind of (disease/affliction) called alarka (rabies-like)

नामname

नामतःby name/nominally

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

Malarka

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse sets up a vivid, cautionary portrait of a formidable being (Malarka). In Śānti Parva’s ethical discourse, such descriptions typically function as moral framing—introducing an example whose nature and conduct will illustrate consequences of certain dispositions (e.g., cruelty, fearfulness, or the need for restraint and discernment).

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada begins describing a figure named Malarka, emphasizing terrifying physical traits—eight legs, sharp fangs, needle-like covering, and dense bristles—preparing the listener for a didactic episode in which this character’s story or behavior will be used for instruction.