Shloka 793
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
खरोष्टमवदनाश्षान्ये वराहवदनास्तथा । जनमेजय! उन सबके नाना प्रकारके मुख थे। किनके कैसे मुख थे? यह बताता हूँ, सुनो। कुछ पार्षदोंके मुख कछुओं और मुर्गोके समान थे, कितनोंके मुख खरगोश, उल्लू, गदहा, ऊँट और सूअरके समान थे
kharōṣṭamavadanāś cānye varāhavadanās tathā | janamejaya! teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ nānāvidhāni mukhāni āsan | keṣāṃ kīdṛśāni mukhāni āsan iti te vakṣyāmi—śṛṇu | kecit pārṣadāḥ kūrma-kukkuṭa-sadṛśamukhāḥ, kecid śaśa-ulūka-gardabha-uṣṭra-varāha-sadṛśamukhāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dijo: «Oh Janamejaya, todos ellos llevaban rostros de muchas clases. Te diré qué rostros tenían—escucha. Algunos asistentes tenían caras como de tortuga y de gallo; otros, rostros semejantes a los de una liebre, un búho, un asno, un camello y un jabalí».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores how, amid the war narrative, the epic frames extraordinary and unsettling sights as meaningful signs—prompting attentiveness, restraint, and discernment (dharma) rather than mere fascination with the grotesque.
Vaiśaṃpāyana continues his description to King Janamejaya, listing the strange, animal-like faces of certain attendants/retainers, emphasizing the variety and ominous wonder of what was seen.