Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अमोघा चैव कौरव्य तथा लम्बपयोधरा । वेणुवीणाधरा चैव पिड्क्षी लोहमेखला

Transliteration

amoghā caiva kauravya tathā lambapayodharā | veṇuvīṇādharā caiva piḍkṣī lohamekhalā

Translation

वैशम्पायन बोले—हे कौरव्य! वह अमोघ (लक्ष्यभेदी) थी; तथा लम्बपयोधरा भी। वह वेणु-दण्ड और वीणा धारण करती थी; पिङ्गलवर्णा थी; और लोहमेखला से युक्त थी।

Word by Word

अमोघाunfailing, unerring

चand

एवindeed, just

कौरव्यO Kauravya (descendant of Kuru)

तथाthus, likewise

लम्बपयोधराhaving pendulous breasts

वेणुवीणाधराbearing a flute and a lute (vina)

चand

एवindeed, just

पिङ्क्षीtawny/bright-colored woman (epithet)

लोहमेखलाhaving an iron girdle / iron-belted

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kauravya (Janamejaya)

veṇu (bamboo staff/flute)

vīṇā

lohamekhalā (iron girdle)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse primarily functions as characterization: it highlights an ideal of effectiveness (amoghā—unfailing capability) alongside distinctive attributes and equipment. Ethically, it underscores how epic narrative often signals a figure’s power and role through concise, emblematic descriptors rather than explicit moral instruction.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues describing a particular female figure to Janamejaya, listing her notable qualities—unerring effectiveness and striking physical and symbolic features—such as carrying a veṇu and a vīṇā and wearing an iron girdle, to mark her presence and potency within the unfolding Shalya Parva account.