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 dit : Même les océans, les fleuves et les montagnes d’une grande puissance semblaient faire paraître des chefs d’armée—des hommes portant lances et armes lourdes—comme si les forces mêmes de la nature livraient des guerriers pour le choc à venir. La scène accroît la gravité morale de la guerre : lorsque le conflit enfle à cette échelle, on dirait que le monde entier est entraîné à fournir les instruments et les agents de la 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.