Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 58
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
अक्ष: संतर्जनो राजन् कुनदीकस्तमो<न्तकृत् । एकाक्षो द्वादशाक्षश्न तथैवैकजट: प्रभु:
akṣaḥ santarjano rājan kunadīkastamo'ntakṛt | ekākṣo dvādaśākṣaś ca tathaivaikajaṭaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, there was Akṣa, a fierce intimidator; Kunadīka, a slayer of darkness; and Antakṛt, a bringer of death. There was also Ekākṣa (‘One-eyed’), Dvādaśākṣa (‘Twelve-eyed’), and likewise the powerful Ekajaṭa (‘Single-matted-lock’).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic theme that war draws in many powerful figures—often identified by striking epithets—and that martial prowess, however fearsome, is ultimately set within a larger moral and fated unfolding where even the mighty are counted, named, and swept into the conflict.
Vaiśampāyana is reciting to King Janamejaya a catalogue of notable warriors (or combatants) present in the Shalya Parva context, listing them by name and epithet to convey the scale and intensity of the forces engaged.