Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 82
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
मत्स्यमेषाननाक्षान्ये अजाविमहिषानना: । ऋक्षशार्दूलवक्त्राश्न दीपिसिंहाननास्तथा,किन्हीं-किन्हींके मुख मछली, मेढे, बकरी, भेड़, भैंसे, रीछ, व्याप्र, भेड़िये तथा सिंहोंके समान थे
matsyameṣānanākṣāṇye ajāvimahiṣānanāḥ | ṛkṣaśārdūlavaktrāś ca dīpisimhānanās tathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Among them, some had faces like fish and rams; others bore the faces of goats, sheep, and buffaloes. Some were bear- and tiger-faced, and others had the visages of fierce lions—portents of a world turned unnatural, reflecting the moral disorder unleashed by war.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that when adharma dominates—especially through mass violence—nature and society are depicted as becoming distorted. Such monstrous, mixed forms function as moral-symbolic warnings about the consequences of unrighteous war.
Vaiśampāyana describes terrifying, unnatural figures with faces resembling various animals. The description serves as an ominous sign (nimitta) accompanying the catastrophic events of the Kurukṣetra war.