Shloka 10

मायासभायां दुर्योधनस्य अवमान-प्रसङ्गः

Duryodhana’s Humiliation in the Hall of Māyā

Devanagari script

पतिष्यत: क्षितितले पञ्चशीर्षाविवोरगौ । तृतीयमेतद्‌ बालस्य ललाटस्थं तु लोचनम्‌

Transliteration

patiṣyataḥ kṣititale pañcaśīrṣāv ivoragau | tṛtīyam etad bālasya lalāṭasthaṃ tu locanam ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను— “భూమిపై పడబోతున్న వేళ, ఐదు తలల సర్పాలవలె (రెండు నేత్రాలు) ప్రత్యక్షమయ్యాయి; ఇదే ఈ బాలుని లలాటస్థ తృతీయ నేత్రము.”

Word by Word

• पतिष्यतः: of (him) about to fall
• पतिष्यतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु) → पतिष्यत् (लृट्-शतृ)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• क्षितितले: on the ground-surface
• क्षितितले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षितितल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• पञ्चशीर्षौ: two (that are) five-headed
• पञ्चशीर्षौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्चशीर्ष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• उरगौ: two serpents
• उरगौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: उरग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• तृतीयम्: the third
• तृतीयम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृतीय
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• बालस्य: of the boy/child
• बालस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• ललाटस्थम्: situated on the forehead
• ललाटस्थम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ललाटस्थ
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• लोचनम्: eye
• लोचनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोचन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• bāla (the child)
• kṣiti (earth/ground)
• tṛtīya-locana (third eye on the forehead)
• uraga (serpents)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extraordinary bodily signs are read as omens indicating an exceptional destiny; in the epic’s ethical world, such portents are taken seriously in assessing a person’s future role and the responsibilities (dharma) that may follow from it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a wondrous sign seen at the moment the child is about to fall to the ground: two eyes are compared to twin five-hooded serpents, and he notes that the child possesses a third eye located on the forehead.