Shloka 7
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
माधवी शुभवकत्रा च तीर्थनेमिश्व॒ भारत । गीतप्रिया च कल्याणी रुद्ररोमामिताशना
mādhavī śubhavaktrā ca tīrthanemiśva bhārata | gītapriyā ca kalyāṇī rudraromāmitāśanā ||
Waiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, ada Mādhavī—berwajah cemerlang dan berpenampilan membawa pertanda baik—dan ada pula seorang lagi bernama Tīrthanemiśvā. Mādhavī mencintai nyanyian, luhur dan berbudi, berambut laksana Rudra, serta berselera makan tak terukur.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily serves characterization rather than direct moral instruction: it highlights how epic narration preserves memory through concise epithets—beauty and auspiciousness (śubhavaktrā, kalyāṇī), refined taste (gītapriyā), and striking, even formidable traits (rudraromā, amitāśanā). Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s habit of presenting persons as complex—admirable qualities alongside unusual or intense features.
Vaiśaṃpāyana is listing or describing named figures, giving Mādhavī and another person (Tīrthanemiśvā) in a catalog-like passage, and marking Mādhavī with identifying epithets (beautiful-faced, song-loving, virtuous, Rudra-haired, and of great appetite).