Shloka 11

Śiśupāla-vadha in the Rājasūya-sabhā (शिशुपालवधः — राजसूयसभायाम्)

Devanagari script

त्रिशिखां भ्रुकु्टी चास्य ददृशु: सर्वपार्थिवा: । ललाटस्थां त्रिकूटस्थां गड़ां त्रिपथगामिव,सब राजाओंने देखा, उनके ललाटमें तीन रेखाओंसे युक्त भ्रुकुटी तन गयी है; मानो त्रिकूटपर्वतपर त्रिपथगामिनी गंगा लहरा उठी हों

Transliteration

triśikhāṃ bhru-kuṭī cāsya dadṛśuḥ sarva-pārthivāḥ | lalāṭasthāṃ trikūṭasthāṃ gaṅgāṃ tripathagām iva ||

Translation

Semua raja melihat keningnya mengerut menjadi kerutan tiga garis di dahi—laksana Gaṅgā yang mengalir dalam tiga jalur, bergelora di Gunung Trikūṭa.

Word by Word

त्रिशिखाम्having three peaks/crests (three-fold)

भ्रुकुटीम्frown; knitted brow

चand

अस्यof him; his

ददृशुःthey saw

सर्वपार्थिवाःall the kings

ललाटस्थाम्situated on the forehead

त्रिकूटस्थाम्standing on Trikūṭa (mountain)

गङ्गाम्the Gaṅgā (river)

त्रिपथगाम्going in three paths (heaven/earth/netherworld)

इवas if; like

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

sarva-pārthivāḥ (the assembled kings)

Gaṅgā

Trikūṭa (mountain)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Public anger in a royal assembly is not merely personal emotion; it becomes a political and ethical signal. The verse warns that when honor is strained and resentment rises, rulers must restrain passion and return to dharma, or the entire polity can be drawn toward conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the court setting, all the kings observe a visible transformation: the central figure’s eyebrows knit into a three-lined frown on his forehead. The poet compares this to the three-course Gaṅgā swelling on Mount Trikūṭa, emphasizing the intensity and ominous force of the moment.