शूरलक्षणवर्णनम् | Marks and Typologies of Martial Temperament
बिडालकुब्जतनवस्तनुकेशास्तनुत्वच: । शीघ्राश्चपलवृत्ताश्व ते भवन्ति दुरासदा:
biḍālakubjatanavas tanukeśās tanutvacaḥ | śīghrāś capalavṛttāś ca te bhavanti durāsadāḥ ||
Bhīṣma nói: Kẻ có thân hình khom như mèo, tóc mỏng và da mỏng thì hành động mau lẹ, tính nết chao đảo, và khó bề khuất phục.
भीष्म उवाच
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.
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.