Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 40

Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha

Verbal Duel and Omens

Devanagari script

रोषात्‌ प्रस्फुरमाणोष्ठी निरीक्षन्तौ परस्परम्‌

Transliteration

roṣāt prasphuramāṇoṣṭhī nirīkṣantau parasparam

Translation

सञ्जय उवाच—रोषात् प्रस्फुरमाणोष्ठी तावुभौ परस्परं निरीक्षन्तौ।

Word by Word

• रोषात्: from anger
• रोषात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोष
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• प्रस्फुरमाण-ओष्ठी: having quivering lips
• प्रस्फुरमाण-ओष्ठी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + स्फुर् (प्रस्फुरमाण) + ओष्ठिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• निरीक्षन्तौ: looking (at)
• निरीक्षन्तौ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + ईक्ष्
• Form: Present (vartamāna), Dual, Parasmaipada, Present active participle (śatṛ), nominative dual masculine

• परस्परम्: each other / mutually
• परस्परम्: Karma
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर
• Form: true

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights krodha (anger) as a visible, destabilizing force: when wrath takes hold, even the body betrays agitation, and judgment is poised to yield to passion—an ethical warning within the war narrative.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two opponents (implied by the dual forms) confronting each other: their lips tremble with rage as they stare one another down, signaling an imminent escalation in the encounter.