Shloka 10

Śakuntalā’s Satya-Discourse and the Recognition of Bharata (शकुन्तला–सत्योपदेशः; भरतप्रतिग्रहः)

Devanagari script

पश्यन्तः स्त्रीगणास्तत्र वज्रपाणिं सम मेनिरे । अयं स पुरुषव्यात्रो रणे वसुपराक्रम:

Transliteration

paśyantaḥ strīgaṇās tatra vajrapāṇiṃ sama menire | ayaṃ sa puruṣavyāghro raṇe vasuparākramaḥ ||

Translation

Disse Vaiśampāyana: Enquanto o observavam, as mulheres reunidas ali o tomaram por semelhante a Vajrapāṇi (Indra, portador do raio). “Este é o tigre entre os homens”, pensaram—cuja proeza na batalha é tão formidável quanto a dos Vasus—expressando assim assombro diante da força heroica e do ideal marcial celebrado na epopeia.

Word by Word

पश्यन्तःseeing

स्त्रीगणाःgroups of women

तत्रthere

वज्रपाणिम्Vajrapāṇi (Indra; 'he whose hand holds the thunderbolt')

सम्indeed / altogether (intensifier)

मेनिरेthey thought / considered

अयम्this (man)

सःhe

पुरुषव्याघ्रःtiger among men / best of men

रणेin battle

वसुपराक्रमःone whose prowess is like that of the Vasus / having Vasu-like valor

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

strīgaṇa (womenfolk)

Vajrapāṇi (Indra)

Vasus

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how heroic reputation is formed through public perception: valor in battle is praised as an ideal, and extraordinary human strength is measured against divine archetypes (Indra, the Vasus), reinforcing the epic’s cultural ethic of kṣātra-tejas (martial excellence).

What is happening in the narrative?

Women onlookers observe a renowned warrior and, struck by his appearance and prowess, liken him to Indra (Vajrapāṇi) and acclaim him as a ‘tiger among men’ whose battlefield might matches that of the Vasus.