Shloka 31

Devanagari script

दीर्घनख्यो दीर्घदन्त्यो दीर्घतुण्ड्यश्व भारत

Transliteration

dīrghanakhyo dīrghadantyo dīrghatuṇḍyaś ca bhārata | bharatanandana! etāsāṁ nakhā dantāś ca mukhāni ca sarvāṇi vipulāni | sarvāḥ sabalā madhurā yuvāvasthā-sampannā vastrābharaṇa-vibhūṣitāḥ | mahātmya-yuktāḥ | kāmarūpiṇyaś ca ||

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: «О Бхарата, о радость рода Бхаратов! Эти женщины — с длинными ногтями, длинными зубами и длинными ртами. Их ногти, зубы и лица — все огромны. Все они сильны, прекрасны, исполнены полноты юности и украшены одеждами и драгоценностями. Им присущи великая сила и слава, и они могут принимать любой облик по своему желанию.»

Word by Word

• दीर्घनख्यः: having long nails
• दीर्घनख्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ-नखिन्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• दीर्घदन्त्यः: having long teeth
• दीर्घदन्त्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ-दन्तिन्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• दीर्घतुण्ड्यः: having long snouts/faces
• दीर्घतुण्ड्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ-तुण्डिन्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भरतनन्दन: O delight of Bharata (descendant of Bharata)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भरत-नन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhārata (Janamejaya)
• Bharatanandana (Janamejaya)
• kāmarūpiṇyaḥ (shape-shifting women)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the presence of extraordinary, potentially dangerous beings whose beauty and adornment coexist with unsettling features and supernatural power. Ethically, it cautions that outward charm may conceal formidable capability, and that discernment is necessary amid deceptive appearances.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a group of women with striking physical traits and great splendor, emphasizing their strength and their ability to change form at will—marking them as supernatural figures within the war-time narrative of the Śalya Parva.