Shloka 196

Adhyaya 8 — Harishchandra’s Trial: Truth, the Sale of Family, and Bondage to a Chandala

Sanskrit

तथास्य नासिका तुङ्गा अग्रतोऽधोमुखं गता ।

दन्ताश्च मुकुलप्रख्याः ख्यातकीर्तेर्महात्मनः ॥

Transliteration

tathāsya nāsikā tuṅgā agrato 'dhomukhaṃ gatā |

dantāś ca mukula-prakhyāḥ khyāta-kīrter mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

And his nose—high—sloped downward at the front; and his teeth were like buds—these were the features of that great-souled man of renowned fame.

Speakers

• Narrative description (queen’s observation implied by context)

Key Themes

• Identification through lakṣaṇa (marks)
• Memory and recognition
• Greatness despite degradation