Shloka 19
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
कूर्मनक्रमुखा श्वैव शिशुमारमुखास्तथा । महामकरवक्त्राश्ष॒ तिमिवक्त्रास्तथैव च,इसी प्रकार बहुत-से गण कछुए, नाकें, सूँस, बड़े-बड़े मगर, तिमि नामक मत्स्य, मोर, क्रौंच (कुरर), कबूतर, हाथी, परेवा तथा मदगु नामक जलपक्षीके समान मुखवाले थे
kūrma-nakra-mukhāś caiva śiśumāra-mukhās tathā | mahā-makara-vaktrāś ca timi-vaktrās tathaiva ca ||
Sañjaya said: “There were also many bands whose faces resembled turtles and crocodiles, and likewise those with the faces of śiśumāras (river-dolphins). Some had the gaping mouths of great makaras, and others the mouths of the timi-fish as well.” In context, the verse heightens the atmosphere of dread by portraying ominous, animal-faced beings—an image that mirrors the moral darkness and terror of the night-time violence described in the Sauptika narrative.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contributes an ethical warning through imagery: when violence and vengeance dominate, the world is perceived as monstrous and terrifying. The narrative atmosphere underscores how adharma distorts perception and leads to भय (fear) and moral darkness.
Sañjaya is describing frightening, animal-faced groups—turtle-, crocodile-, dolphin-, makara-, and timi-mouthed forms—used to intensify the dread and ominous tone surrounding the night events of the Sauptika Parva.