Shloka 27
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
गणा च सुगणा चैव तथा भीत्यथ कामदा । चतुष्पथरता चैव भूतितीर्थान्यगोचरी
gaṇā ca sugaṇā caiva tathā bhītyatha kāmadā | catuṣpatharatā caiva bhūtitīrthānyagocarī ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “There were also (female beings) named Gaṇā and Sugaṇā; likewise Bhīti, and then Kāmadā. There was also Catuṣpatharatā, and Bhūtitīrthā—one who moves beyond ordinary reach.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a catalog of uncanny, personified forces—fear, desire-granting, and liminal presences (like crossroads)—suggesting that in times of crisis and war, the moral and psychological atmosphere is shaped not only by human choices but also by perceived omens and unseen influences that test steadiness and discernment.
Vaiśaṃpāyana continues a descriptive enumeration of named supernatural female beings (often read as ominous or liminal presences) associated with unsettling places and effects, heightening the sense of dread and abnormality surrounding the events of the Shalya Parva.