Shloka 10

शूरलक्षणवर्णनम् | Marks and Typologies of Martial Temperament

Devanagari script

बिडालकुब्जतनवस्तनुकेशास्तनुत्वच: । शीघ्राश्चपलवृत्ताश्व ते भवन्ति दुरासदा:,जिनका शरीर बिलावके समान कुबड़ा तथा सिरके बाल और देहकी खाल पतले होते हैं, वे शीघ्रतापूर्वक अस्त्र चलानेवाले चंचल और दुर्जय होते हैं

Transliteration

biḍālakubjatanavas tanukeśās tanutvacaḥ | śīghrāś capalavṛttāś ca te bhavanti durāsadāḥ ||

Translation

భీష్ముడు పలికెను—పిల్లివలె కుబ్జదేహములు, పలుచని జుట్టు మరియు పలుచని చర్మము కలవారు కార్యాలలో వేగవంతులు, స్వభావంలో చంచలులు, జయించుటకు కఠినులు అవుతారు.

Word by Word

बिडालकुब्जतनवःhaving a cat-like hunchbacked body

तनुकेशाःhaving thin/sparse hair

तनुत्वचःhaving thin skin

शीघ्राःswift

चपलवृत्ताश्चand of fickle/restless conduct

तेthey/those

भवन्तिbecome/are

दुरासदाःhard to approach/assail; formidable

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse conveys that certain observable traits are traditionally taken as signs of a person’s temperament—especially swiftness, restlessness, and difficulty to restrain—serving as a caution in judging reliability and managing conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and practical wisdom; here he describes a type of person whose nature is quick and unstable, emphasizing their formidable, hard-to-subdue quality.