मृदुकुञ्चितकेशान्तं बालं बालमृगेक्षणम् ॥
मत्तद्विरदविक्रान्तं शालपोतम् इवोद्गतम् ॥
स्मिताभिभाषिणं दान्तं गुरुवाक्यकरं सदा ॥
बाल्ये ऽप्य् अबालकर्माणं प्रियवाक्यम् अमत्सरम् ॥
महोत्साहं महाबाहुं दीर्घराजीवलोचनम् ॥
भक्तानुकम्पिनं दान्तं न च नीचानुसारिणम् ॥
mṛdukuñcitakeśāntaṃ bālaṃ bālamṛgekṣaṇam ||
mattadviradavikrāntaṃ śālapotam ivodgatam ||
smitābhibhāṣiṇaṃ dāntaṃ guruvākyakaraṃ sadā ||
bālye 'py abālakarmāṇaṃ priyavākyam amatsaram ||
mahotsāhaṃ mahābāhuṃ dīrgharājīvalocanam ||
bhaktānukampinaṃ dāntaṃ na ca nīcānusāriṇam ||
"With soft curling locks, a child, with the eyes of a fawn, with the gait of a rutting elephant, like an upstanding shala sapling; who spoke with a smile, was master of himself, always obedient to the word of his elders; and even in his young years, with unchildlike deeds, affable in speech, without malice; full of ardor, mighty-armed, with long lotus-like eyes, merciful to devotees, self-controlled, and who did not keep company with the low..."
dfe3c9eafb06 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:30:04 PM UTC
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The father's lament becomes a verbal portrait: curling locks, the eyes of a fawn, the gait of an elephant, the frame of a young shala tree — and at once the virtues follow: "guruvākyakaram... amatsaram... na ca nīcānusāriṇam." It is telling that the boy is praised not for beauty alone but for character: obedience to elders, freedom from malice, refusal of bad company. "Bālye api abālakarmāṇam," "even in youth, with unchildlike deeds" — his maturity of spirit outran his years. The verse teaches that true memory of the beloved holds not only the form but the soul, and that beauty without virtue would not have been worth such weeping.