Shloka 41

Devanagari script

महोदरं महाकायं द्वीपिचर्मनिवासिनम्‌ । लोकेशं वरदं मुण्डं ब्रह्मुण्यं ब्राह्मणप्रियम्‌

Transliteration

mahodaraṁ mahākāyaṁ dvīpicarmanivāsinam | lokeśaṁ varadaṁ muṇḍaṁ brahmaṇyaṁ brāhmaṇapriyam ||

Translation

ວະຍາສະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «(ພຣະອົງ) ມີທ້ອງໃຫຍ່ ແລະກາຍອັນມະຫາໃຫຍ່, ນຸ່ງຫົ່ມດ້ວຍໜັງເສືອ; ເປັນຈອມໂລກ, ຜູ້ປະທານພອນ, ຫົວໂກນ, ຜູ້ອຸທິດຕົນແກ່ຄວາມສັກສິດແຫ່ງພຣະພຣະຫມາ, ແລະເປັນທີ່ຮັກຂອງພຣາຫມະນະ.»

Word by Word

महोदरम्having a great belly

महाकायम्of huge body

द्वीपिचर्मनिवासिनम्dwelling in a leopard-skin (wearing leopard-skin)

लोकेशम्lord of the worlds

वरदम्boon-giving

मुण्डम्shaven-headed, bald

ब्रह्मण्यंdevoted to Brahman / favorable to Brahmins

ब्राह्मणप्रियम्dear to Brahmins

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames true eminence as a blend of power and restraint: even one described with imposing physical traits is ethically evaluated through markers of dharma—ascetic discipline, reverence for sacred learning, and goodwill toward brāhmaṇas—suggesting that authority is legitimized by alignment with religious and moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is describing a formidable figure through a compact set of epithets—physical appearance (huge body, shaven head), attire (tiger-skin), and social-religious standing (lordly, boon-giving, Brahmanically devout, dear to brāhmaṇas)—as part of the ongoing characterization within the Drona Parva’s war-time narration.