Shloka 29

Devanagari script

बले रूपे च शौर्ये च न शमे च समो<स्ति नौ । धर्मे तपसि दाने च शीलसच्त्वदमेषु च,बल, रूप, शौर्य और मनोनिग्रहमें हमारी समता करनेवाला कोई नहीं है। धर्म, तपस्या, दान, शील, सत्त्व तथा इन्द्रियसंयममें भी हमारी कहीं तुलना नहीं है

Transliteration

Mārkaṇḍeya uvāca: bale rūpe ca śaurye ca na śame ca samo 'sti nau | dharme tapasi dāne ca śīla-sattva-dameṣu ca ||

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya berkata: “Dalam kekuatan, keelokan, dan keberanian—bahkan dalam pengendalian diri—tiada seorang pun setara dengan kami. Dalam dharma, tapa, kedermawanan, keluhuran budi, kemurnian batin, serta pengekangan indria, tak ada di mana pun yang dapat dibandingkan dengan kami.”

Word by Word

बलेin strength

रूपेin beauty/form

चand

शौर्येin valor

चand

नnot

शमेin self-control/calm

चand

समःequal (one)

अस्तिis/exists

नौof us two

धर्मेin righteousness/duty

तपसिin austerity

दानेin giving/charity

चand

शीलin conduct/character

सत्त्वin courage/inner strength (sattva)

दमेषुin restraints (sense-control practices)

चand

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Mārkaṇḍeya

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse lists classical virtues—strength, valor, self-restraint, dharma, austerity, charity, good conduct, purity, and sense-control—while also illustrating how claiming unmatched excellence can signal pride; ethically, it invites reflection on whether virtues are to be cultivated for inner discipline and service rather than for self-exaltation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya speaks in a didactic context, presenting a declaration of superiority in both worldly qualities (strength, beauty, heroism) and spiritual-moral qualities (dharma, tapas, dāna, śīla, sattva, dama), setting up a moral contrast often used in Mahābhārata storytelling to test or instruct listeners about virtue and ego.