Shloka 26

Devanagari script

प्रलम्बबाहूरुकरजड्घान्तरविलम्बिनाम्‌ | ऋक्षाणां धूम्रवर्णानां तिस््र: कोट्यो व्यवस्थिता:

Transliteration

pralambabāhūrukarajaḍghāntaravilambinām | ṛkṣāṇāṃ dhūmravarṇānāṃ tisraḥ koṭyo vyavasthitāḥ

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya said: “There stood three crores of bears—smoke-grey in color—whose long arms hung down between their massive thighs and sturdy shanks.”

Word by Word

प्रलम्बबाहूरुकरजड्घान्तरविलम्बिनाम्of those (bears) whose long arms, thighs, hands and the inner parts of their legs hang down

ऋक्षाणाम्of bears

धूम्रवर्णानाम्of smoke-grey color

तिस्रःthree

कोट्यःcrores (ten-millions)

व्यवस्थिताःwere stationed/arrayed

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Ṛ

ṛkṣāḥ (bears)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse primarily serves vivid epic description rather than direct moral instruction; it underscores the Mahābhārata’s sense of scale and wonder, reminding the listener that the world contains forces and multitudes beyond ordinary human measure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya is describing a vast, organized host of bears—smoke-grey in color—emphasizing their formidable physique and the immense number (three crores) standing arrayed.