Shloka 39

Devanagari script

स्वर्णदण्डामकुण्ठाग्रां तैलधौतां सुनिर्मलाम्‌ । लेलिहानामिव विभो नागकन्यां महाविषाम्‌

Transliteration

svarṇadaṇḍām akuṇṭhāgrāṃ tailadhautāṃ sunirmalām | lelihānām iva vibho nāgakanyāṃ mahāviṣām

Translation

Disse Sañjaya: «Ó poderoso, (ele contemplou) uma arma de haste dourada, com a ponta não embotada, polida com óleo e de limpeza extrema—como uma donzela-serpente de veneno mortal, como se estivesse a lamber e a agitar a língua». A imagem ressalta que, na guerra, até o instrumento mais primorosamente forjado se torna emblema de intenção letal, onde beleza e brilho são inseparáveis do perigo.

Word by Word

स्वर्णदण्डाम्having a golden staff/handle

अकुण्ठाग्राम्with an unblunted/sharp point

तैलधौताम्oil-polished/cleansed with oil

सुनिर्मलाम्very clean/spotless

लेलिहानाम्licking (its lips/tongue), darting the tongue

इवas if/like

विभोO mighty one

नागकन्याम्a serpent-maiden (female serpent)

महाविषाम्highly venomous

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the vocative vibho)

weapon (unspecified; described by features)

nāgakanyā (serpent-maiden, metaphor)

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 uses a striking simile to show that in warfare, splendor and craftsmanship can mask mortal danger: what appears beautiful and pure can still be an instrument of destruction, urging ethical reflection on the seductive nature of power and violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes a gleaming, oil-polished, sharp-pointed weapon with a golden shaft, comparing its deadly readiness to a highly venomous serpent-maiden flicking her tongue.