Shloka 13

शूरलक्षणवर्णनम् | Marks and Typologies of Martial Temperament

Devanagari script

गम्भीराक्षा नि:सृताक्षा: पिड्ाक्षा भ्रुकुटीमुखा: । नकुलाक्षास्तथा चैव सर्वे शूरास्तनुत्यज:

Transliteration

gambhīrākṣā niḥsṛtākṣāḥ piṅgākṣā bhrukuṭīmukhāḥ | nakulākṣās tathā caiva sarve śūrās tanutyajaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : Les hommes aux yeux profondément enfoncés, ou qui paraissent saillants tant ils sont grands ; aux yeux fauves ; au visage marqué par des sourcils froncés ; et de même ceux dont les yeux sont bruns comme ceux d’une mangouste—tous ceux qui portent de tels signes sont vaillants de nature, de ceux qui abandonnent leur corps sur le champ de bataille.

Word by Word

• गम्भीराक्षाः: those having deep eyes
• गम्भीराक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम्भीराक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• निःसृताक्षाः: those with protruding/started-out eyes
• निःसृताक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निःसृताक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पिङ्गलाक्षाः: those with tawny/brownish eyes
• पिङ्गलाक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिङ्गलाक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भ्रुकुटीमुखाः: those whose face is with knitted brows (frowning-faced)
• भ्रुकुटीमुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भ्रुकुटीमुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• नकुलाक्षाः: those with mongoose-like eyes
• नकुलाक्षाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नकुलाक्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: thus/likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• शूराः: heroes/valiant men
• शूराः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• तनुत्यजः: those who give up the body (die, esp. in battle)
• तनुत्यजः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तनुत्यज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma presents a traditional physiognomic observation: certain bodily features—especially types of eyes and a tense, knitted-brow expression—are taken as indicators of innate courage and a disposition to die fighting. The ethical frame is the kṣatriya ideal of fearlessness and readiness to sacrifice one’s life in righteous battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and related disciplines. Here he is describing characteristic marks (lakṣaṇas) by which one may recognize men inclined toward heroism and battlefield self-sacrifice.