Shloka 54
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
सागरा: सरितश्चैव गिरयश्न महाबला: । ददुः सेनागणाध्यक्षान् शूलपट्टिशधारिण:
sāgarāḥ saritaś caiva girayaś ca mahābalāḥ | daduḥ senāgaṇādhyakṣān śūlapaṭṭiśadhāriṇaḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Even the oceans, the rivers, and the mighty mountains seemed to present forth the commanders of the army—men bearing spears and heavy weapons—suggesting that the very forces of nature were yielding up warriors for the coming clash. The scene heightens the moral gravity of war: when conflict swells to this scale, it appears as though the whole world is drawn into supplying instruments and agents of violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses cosmic imagery to underline how war can feel all-encompassing: when adharma-driven violence expands, it seems as if even nature is compelled to furnish weapons and warriors. The ethical undertone is a warning about the magnitude and contagion of conflict.
The narrator describes a surge of martial leadership and armed men—commanders bearing spears and heavy weapons—through a hyperbolic comparison: oceans, rivers, and mountains are said to 'give' them, emphasizing the vastness and inevitability of the battle atmosphere in the Shalya Parva context.