Shloka 7

Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha

Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site

Devanagari script

माधवी शुभवकत्रा च तीर्थनेमिश्व॒ भारत । गीतप्रिया च कल्याणी रुद्ररोमामिताशना

Transliteration

mādhavī śubhavaktrā ca tīrthanemiśva bhārata | gītapriyā ca kalyāṇī rudraromāmitāśanā ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O Bhārata, there was Mādhavī—radiant-faced and auspicious in appearance—along with (another) named Tīrthanemiśvā. Mādhavī was fond of song, blessed and virtuous, bearing hair like Rudra’s, and of immeasurable appetite.”

Word by Word

माधवीMādhavī (a woman’s name/epithet)

शुभवक्त्राhaving an auspicious face

चand

तीर्थनेमिःTīrthanemi (a proper name; lit. 'whose rim is a sacred ford')

भारतO Bhārata

गीतप्रियाfond of song/music

चand

कल्याणीauspicious; beautiful; virtuous

रुद्ररोमाhaving hair like Rudra (i.e., fierce/terrible-haired)

अमिताशनाof immeasurable eating; voracious

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Bhārata (Janamejaya addressed)

Mādhavī

Tīrthanemiśvā

Rudra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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).