Shloka 22

Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha

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

Devanagari script

शशोलूकमुखी कृष्णा खरजड्घा महाजवा । शिशुमारमुखी श्वेता लोहिताक्षी विभीषणा

Transliteration

śaśolūkamukhī kṛṣṇā kharajaḍghā mahājavā | śiśumāramukhī śvetā lohitākṣī vibhīṣaṇā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Die eine war dunkel, mit einem Gesicht wie ein Hase oder eine Eule, mit rauen, eselgleichen Kiefern und von ungeheurer Schnelligkeit. Eine andere war weiß, mit einem Gesicht wie ein Schweinswal, rotäugig und furchterregend.“

Word by Word

शशोलूकमुखीshe whose face is like a hare/owl

कृष्णाblack/dark

खरजड्घाshe who has donkey-like shanks/legs

महाजवाvery swift; of great speed

शिशुमारमुखीshe whose face is like a porpoise/dolphin (śiśumāra)

श्वेताwhite

लोहिताक्षीred-eyed

विभीषणाterrifying, dreadful

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse primarily serves a narrative function: it uses vivid, unsettling zoological imagery to convey dread and the atmosphere of danger. Ethically, such descriptions underscore how war and impending calamity are accompanied by fear, distortion, and ominous signs, warning listeners about the destructive psychological landscape that surrounds violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing frightening female figures/creatures (or ominous apparitions) characterized by animal-like faces, unusual coloration, and terrifying features. The emphasis on speed, red eyes, and monstrous faces heightens the sense of foreboding within the Shalya Parva’s war-time setting.