Shloka 11
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
काकोल इव कृष्णाड़रो रक्ताक्ष: कालसम्मित: । दीर्घजड्घो हस्वपादो महावक्त्रो महाहनुः
bhīṣma uvāca | kākola iva kṛṣṇāṅgāro raktākṣaḥ kālasammitāḥ | dīrghajaṅgho hrasvapādo mahāvaktrō mahāhanuḥ |
Bhishma disse: “Era negro por inteiro como um corvo kākola, com olhos vermelho-sangue, e à vista parecia aparentado com a própria Morte. Tinha canelas longas, pés curtos, uma boca enorme e uma mandíbula descomunal.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses stark physical imagery—blackness, red eyes, and a Death-like appearance—to signal moral danger and the presence of adharma. In Śānti Parva’s ethical discourse, such descriptions commonly function as warnings: inner corruption and harmful intent are mirrored by frightening, inauspicious traits, urging discernment and restraint.
Bhīṣma is describing a terrifying figure’s appearance in vivid detail—coal-black body like a crow, red eyes, and disproportionate limbs and jaw—so that the listener can recognize the being and grasp the ominous tone of the episode.