Shloka 20
Devanagari script
मन्दर: पर्वतश्नाक्षो जड्घा तस्य महानदी
Transliteration
Mandaraḥ parvataśnākṣo jaḍghā tasya mahānadī.
Translation
ਦੁਰਯੋਧਨ ਬੋਲਿਆ— “ਮੰਦਰ ਪਹਾੜ ਵਰਗਾ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਮੋਢਾ ਹੈ; ਉਸ ਦੀ ਜੰਘਾ ਮਹਾਨਦੀ ਸਮਾਨ ਹੈ।”
Word by Word
मन्दरःMandara (mountain)
मन्दरः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमन्दर
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
पर्वत-श्नाक्षःone whose eyes are mountains (mountain-eyed)
पर्वत-श्नाक्षः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपर्वतश्नाक्ष
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
जङ्घाshin/leg
जङ्घा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootजङ्घा
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
तस्यof him/of that
तस्य:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular
महानदीgreat river
महानदी:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootमहानदी
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
Speaker
दुर्योधन उवाच
Characters & Entities
द
दुर्योधन (Duryodhana)म
मन्दर (Mandara mountain)प
पर्वत (mountain)म
महानदी (great river)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
The verse illustrates how epic war rhetoric elevates a warrior by comparing his body to immense natural forms (mountain, river), showing the persuasive power of praise in sustaining morale and allegiance—while also hinting at the ethical tension of glorifying sheer strength in a destructive conflict.
Duryodhana is describing (and extolling) a warrior’s formidable physique through metaphors: a shoulder like the Mandara mountain and a thigh like a great river, as part of a broader effort to inspire confidence in battle.