Shloka 92
Adhyāya 284: Tapas as a Corrective to Household Attachment
Parāśara’s Instruction
नमो विकृतवक्त्राय खड्गजिद्दाय दं्टिणे । पक््वाममांसलुब्धाय तुम्बीवीणाप्रियाय च
namo vikṛtavaktrāya khaḍgajiddāya daṃṭiṇe | pakvāmamāṃsalubdhāya tumbīvīṇāpriyāya ca
Salut à celui dont le visage, difforme et farouche, porte des défenses; à celui que l’on dit vainqueur de l’épée; à celui qui convoite la chair cuite comme la chair crue; et à celui qui aime la tumbī-vīṇā, le luth de calebasse.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse models a dharmic attitude of acknowledging and ritually addressing even terrifying, liminal powers. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical world, order is maintained not only by ideals but also by recognizing and properly relating to forces that can disrupt or protect.
Bhīṣma is reciting a formula of salutation that lists identifying epithets of a fierce being—grotesque-faced, tusked, associated with victory over the sword, meat-craving, and fond of the tumbī-vīṇā—typical of invocatory passages that seek protection, favor, or the correct ritual orientation within a larger discourse in Śānti Parva.