Shloka 7

Mātali’s Proposal for Guṇakeśī and Sumukha’s Audience with Indra

Devanagari script

द्विपज्चशिरस: केचित्‌ केचित्‌ सप्तमुखास्तथा । महाभोगा महाकाया: पर्वताभोगभोगिन:

Transliteration

dvipañcaśirasaḥ kecit kecit saptamukhās tathā | mahābhogā mahākāyāḥ parvatābhogabhoginaḥ ||

Translation

ನಾರದನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಕೆಲವರಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡು ಅಥವಾ ಐದು ಶಿರಗಳು; ಕೆಲವರಲ್ಲಿ ಏಳು ಮುಖಗಳೂ ಇವೆ. ಅವರು ಮಹಾಭೋಗಿಗಳು, ಮಹಾಕಾಯರು, ಪರ್ವತದಂತೆ ವಿಶಾಲವಾದ ಪ್ರದೇಶಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಹರಿಸುವವರು.

Word by Word

द्विपञ्चशिरसःhaving ten heads

केचित्some (of them)

केचित्some (others)

सप्तमुखाःseven-faced / having seven mouths

तथाlikewise

महाभोगाःof great coils / huge-bodied (serpentine)

महाकायाःof great size / huge-bodied

पर्वताभोगभोगिनःhaving coils like mountain-ridges / mountain-like coil-possessors

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

multi-headed serpents (bhoginaḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how immense power and extraordinary forms in the world can inspire awe and caution; ethical discernment lies in recognizing that sheer magnitude or marvel does not by itself indicate beneficence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada is describing a class of formidable serpentine beings—some with multiple heads and faces—emphasizing their gigantic bodies and vast, mountain-like coils as part of a broader depiction of extraordinary creatures.