Shloka 7

दमयन्त्याः कार्यनिश्चयः — Damayantī’s Crisis Plan and Vārṣṇeya’s Departure

Devanagari script

सुकेशान्तानि चारूणि सुनासाक्षिभ्रुवाणि च । मुखानि राज्ञां शोभन्ते नक्षत्राणि यथा दिवि,जैसे आकाशकमें तारे प्रकाशित होते हैं, उसी प्रकार सुन्दर केशान्तभागसे विभूषित एवं रुचिर नासिका, नेत्र और भौंहोंसे युक्त राजाओंके मनोहर मुख सुशोभित हो रहे थे

Transliteration

bṛhadaśva uvāca | sukeśāntāni cārūṇi sunāsākṣibhrūvāṇi ca | mukhāni rājñāṃ śobhante nakṣatrāṇi yathā divi ||

Translation

Bṛhadaśva said: “The faces of the kings shone—adorned with beautiful hairlines and endowed with fine noses, eyes, and brows—just as the stars shine in the sky.” The verse highlights royal splendor as an outward sign of prosperity and status, setting a vivid scene rather than offering a direct moral injunction.

Word by Word

सुकेशान्तानिhaving beautiful hair-ends (well-adorned with fine hair)

चारूणिbeautiful, charming

सुनासाक्षिभ्रुवाणिhaving fine nose, eyes, and eyebrows

चand

मुखानिfaces

राज्ञाम्of kings

शोभन्तेshine, are splendid

नक्षत्राणिstars

यथाas, just as

दिविin the sky, in heaven

Speaker

बृहदश्व उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhadaśva

kings (rājānaḥ)

stars (nakṣatrāṇi)

sky/heaven (div)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse primarily serves descriptive poetics: it uses a star-sky simile to convey the radiance and refinement associated with kingship and prosperity, emphasizing how outward beauty and bearing can symbolize social stature in epic narrative.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhadaśva is describing a scene involving kings, focusing on their striking appearance. Their faces—marked by attractive features—are said to shine like stars in the sky, creating a vivid visual tableau within the ongoing story.