Shloka 23

Devanagari script

तत्र दुर्योधनसखा भिक्षुरूपेण संवृत:ः । साक्ष: शिखी त्रिदण्डी च धृष्टो विगतसाध्वस:,वह दुर्योधनका मित्र था। उसने संन्यासी ब्राह्मणके वेषमें अपने असली रूपको छिपा रखा था। उसके हाथमें अक्षमाला थी और मस्तकपर शिखा। उसने त्रिदण्ड धारण कर रखा था। वह बड़ा ढीठ और निर्भय था

Transliteration

tatra duryodhana-sakhā bhikṣu-rūpeṇa saṁvṛtaḥ | sākṣaḥ śikhī tridaṇḍī ca dhṛṣṭo vigata-sādhvasaḥ ||

Translation

तत्र दुर्योधनसखा भिक्षुरूपेण संवृतः । साक्षः शिखी त्रिदण्डी च धृष्टो विगतसाध्वसः ॥

Word by Word

तत्रthere

दुर्योधन-सखाfriend of Duryodhana

भिक्षु-रूपेणin the form of a mendicant

संवृतःcovered, disguised

स-अक्षःhaving a rosary (akṣa-mālā) / with beads

शिखीwearing a topknot

त्रिदण्डीbearing the triple staff

चand

धृष्टःimpudent, bold

विगत-साध्वसःfree from fear

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Duryodhana

Duryodhana's companion (unnamed)

bhikṣu (mendicant disguise)

akṣamālā (rosary)

śikhā (tuft of hair)

tridaṇḍa (triple staff)

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?

External symbols of holiness—rosary, śikhā, and the triple staff—do not by themselves establish dharma; using them to conceal intent underscores the moral danger of hypocrisy and the need to judge conduct and motives rather than mere appearance.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes an associate of Duryodhana who has entered the scene disguised as a mendicant-brāhmaṇa, complete with the conventional emblems of renunciation, behaving boldly and without fear while hiding his real identity.