Shloka 17
शूरलक्षणवर्णनम् | Marks and Typologies of Martial Temperament
उद्धता इव सुग्रीवा विनताविहगा इव । पिण्डशीर्षातिवक्त्रा श्व वृषदंशमुखास्तथा
uddhatā iva sugrīvā vinatāvihagā iva | piṇḍaśīrṣātivaktrāś ca vṛṣadaṁśamukhās tathā ||
毗湿摩说道：“有些人骄横躁进，如苏格利婆一类骏马；其性不安，如毗那多之鸟（迦楼罗一族）。有的头颅浑圆，口阔异常；有的面貌如恶犬噬牛。其声粗厉，易动嗔怒，战场上游走咆哮。他们不识达摩（dharma），为傲慢所胀，形貌狰狞；仅其一见，便令人心生恐惧。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns that outwardly fearsome, loud, and aggressive temperaments—marked by pride and uncontrolled anger—often correlate with a lack of dharma-jñāna (ethical discernment). The passage critiques intimidation and battle-roaring as signs of inner disorder rather than virtue.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and conduct. Here he describes certain harsh, terrifying human types through vivid animal and mythic similes (Sugrīva-type horses; Vinatā’s birds), emphasizing their violent disposition and ethical blindness.