Shloka 6

Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 17 — Śālva’s encampment and the Yādava counter-engagement at Dvārakā

Devanagari script

मुखस्य वर्णो न विकल्पते5स्य चेलुश्व गात्राणि न चापि तस्य । सिंहोन्नतं चाप्यभिगर्जतो<5स्य शुश्राव लोको<द्धुतवीर्यमग्रयम्‌,उनके मुखका रंग तनिक भी नहीं बदलता था। उनके अंग भी विचलित नहीं होते थे। सब ओर गर्जना करते हुए प्रद्युम्नका उत्तम एवं अद्भुत बल-पराक्रमका सूचक सिंहनाद सब लोगोंको सुनायी देता था

Transliteration

mukhasya varṇo na vikalpate ’sya, celur gātrāṇi na cāpi tasya | siṁhonnataṁ cāpy abhigarjato ’sya, śuśrāva loko ’dbhuta-vīryam agryam ||

Translation

His face did not change color in the least; nor did his limbs tremble. As he roared on all sides with a lion-like, lofty cry, the people heard it—an unmistakable sign of his supreme and wondrous valor. The verse highlights the ethical ideal of steadfast courage: inner composure and bodily steadiness in the face of danger, expressed not as reckless rage but as controlled, heroic confidence.

Word by Word

• {'mukhasya': 'of the face', 'varṇaḥ': 'color, complexion', 'na': 'not', 'vikalpate': 'changes, alters, wavers', 'asya': 'of him, his', 'gātrāṇi': 'limbs, body-parts', 'celuḥ (√cal)': 'trembled, shook, were unsteady', 'na cāpi': 'nor also', 'siṁha-unnatam': 'lion-like and lofty (lit. ‘raised like a lion’), proud/majestic', 'abhigarjataḥ (√garj)': 'of him who was roaring loudly', 'śuśrāva': 'heard', 'lokaḥ': 'the people, the world', 'adbhuta': 'marvelous, extraordinary', 'vīryam': 'heroic power, valor, prowess', 'agryam': 'foremost, excellent, supreme'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (speaker)
• loka (people/world)
• siṁha (lion, as a simile)
• Pradyumna (implied by the accompanying Hindi gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True valor is marked by steadiness—no loss of composure in the face, no trembling in the limbs—paired with a confident, righteous assertion of strength. The verse presents courage as disciplined self-mastery rather than panic or uncontrolled fury.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva describes a heroic figure whose complexion does not change and whose body does not shake. As he roars like a lion, the people hear a cry that proclaims extraordinary prowess, signaling his readiness and superiority in the impending confrontation.