Shloka 24
कार्त्तिकेयाभिषेकः — Consecration of Kārttikeya and the Enumeration of His Retinue
निकाया भूतसंघानां परमाद्भुतदर्शना: । विकृता विकृताकारा विकृताभरणध्वजा:,उनके साथ आये हुए भूतसंघोंके शरीर देखनेमें बड़े ही अद्भुत, विकृत और विकराल थे। उनके आभूषण और ध्वज भी बड़े विकट थे
nikāyā bhūtasaṅghānāṃ paramādbhuta-darśanāḥ | vikṛtā vikṛtākārā vikṛtābharaṇa-dhvajāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: Die versammelten Geisterscharen boten einen höchst wunderlichen Anblick—verzerrt und grotesk an Gestalt; selbst ihr Schmuck und ihre Banner wirkten unheimlich und furchterregend.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how adharma-saturated violence and impending catastrophe are mirrored by ominous, unsettling phenomena; the grotesque ‘bhūta’ imagery functions as a moral and psychological sign of disorder, fear, and the breakdown of auspiciousness around the battlefield.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the arrival/presence of supernatural spirit-hosts whose bodies, ornaments, and banners look bizarre and terrifying, heightening the sense of dread and portent in the Shalya Parva war narrative.