Shloka 24

Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha

Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site

Devanagari script

लोहिताक्षी महाकाया हरिपिण्डा च भूमिप । एकत्वचा सुकुसुमा कृष्णकर्णी च भारत

Transliteration

lohitākṣī mahākāyā haripiṇḍā ca bhūmipa | ekatvacā sukusumā kṛṣṇakarṇī ca bhārata ||

Translation

Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: “O hari, (naroon/naibanggit) ang may mapulang mga mata, ang may napakalaking pangangatawan, at ang may kulay na dilaw-ginto; gayundin ang may iisang pantay na balat, ang labis na maselan na tila bulaklak, at ang may maiitim na tainga—O Bhārata.”

Word by Word

लोहिताक्षीred-eyed (female)

महाकायाlarge-bodied (female)

हरिपिण्डाhaving a tawny/yellowish body-mass (female)

चand

भूमिपO king (protector of the earth)

एकत्वचाsingle-skinned / of one hide (female)

सुकुसुमाwell-flowered / having fine blossoms (female)

कृष्णकर्णीblack-eared (female)

चand

भारतO Bharata (descendant of Bharata)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

bhūmipa (the king, i.e., Janamejaya in the frame narrative)

Bhārata (descendant of Bharata; form of address)

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?

The verse primarily functions as descriptive narration rather than a direct moral injunction; its ethical force lies in how the epic frames war-time events through signs and unusual characteristics, reminding rulers to remain attentive, discerning, and responsible amid ominous or extraordinary occurrences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana lists a set of striking physical traits—red eyes, huge body, tawny complexion, uniform skin, delicate form, dark ears—within a sequence of descriptions that typically accompanies the epic’s depiction of unusual beings or portents during the Shalya Parva war narrative.