Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 68

Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission

Devanagari script

हंसज: पड्कदिग्धाड़: समुद्रोन्मादनश्न ह । रणोत्कट: प्रहासश्न श्वेतसिद्धश्ष नन्दन:

Transliteration

haṃsajaḥ paṅkadigdhaḥ samudronmādanaś ca ha | raṇotkaṭaḥ prahāsaś ca śvetasiddhaś ca nandanaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “There was Haṃsaja, and Paṅkadigdha; Samudronmādana as well; Raṇotkaṭa and Prahāsa; and also Śvetasiddha and Nandana.”

Word by Word

• हंसजः: born of a swan / swan-born (name/epithet)
• हंसजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: हंसज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पङ्कदिग्धाङ्गः: whose body is smeared with mud
• पङ्कदिग्धाङ्गः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पङ्क-दिग्ध-अङ्ग
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समुद्रोन्मादनः: ocean-agitating / causing the sea to surge (epithet)
• समुद्रोन्मादनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुद्र-उन्मादन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ह: indeed / surely (emphatic particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह

• रणोत्कटः: fierce in battle
• रणोत्कटः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रण-उत्कट
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रहासः: laughter / mockery (name/epithet)
• प्रहासः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रहास
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• श्वेतसिद्धः: white and accomplished / the white perfected one (epithet)
• श्वेतसिद्धः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्वेत-सिद्ध
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नन्दनः: Nandana / the gladdener (name/epithet)
• नन्दनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Haṃsaja
• Paṅkadigdha
• Samudronmādana
• Raṇotkaṭa
• Prahāsa
• Śvetasiddha
• Nandana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This verse functions as a roll-call of warriors, highlighting the epic’s ethical perspective that war implicates innumerable individuals beyond the celebrated leaders; remembering names becomes a subtle critique of the human cost of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues the battle account by listing additional named fighters present in the conflict, adding to the broader catalogue of participants in the Shalya Parva war narrative.