Shloka 33
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
निर्मासगात्र्य: श्वेताक्ष तथा काउ्चनसंनिभा: । कृष्णमेघनिभाश्षान्या धूम्राश्ष भरतर्षभ,इनमेंसे कुछ मातृकाओंके शरीर केवल हडियोंके ढाँचे हैं। उनमें मांसका पता नहीं है। कुछ श्वेतवर्णकी हैं और कितनोंकी ही अंगकान्ति सुवर्णके समान है। भरतश्रेष्ठ। कुछ मातृकाएँ कृष्णमेघके समान काली तथा कुछ धूम्रवर्णकी हैं
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: nirmāṃsagātryaḥ śvetākṣāḥ tathā kāñcanasaṃnibhāḥ | kṛṣṇameghanibhāś cānyā dhūmrāś ca bharatarṣabha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Some of those Mātṛkās had bodies that were mere frameworks of bone, with no flesh to be seen. Some had pale, white eyes; some shone with a radiance like gold. O bull among the Bharatas, others were dark like rain-clouds, and others again were smoke-hued. The scene underscores the terrifying, otherworldly diversity of these beings, evoking awe and dread amid the moral turbulence of war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the shadow of war and moral disorder, terrifying and uncanny forces are perceived—suggesting that adharma and violence are accompanied by dread, omens, and the eruption of the uncanny into human experience.
Vaiśampāyana describes the appearance of various Mātṛkās: some are fleshless and skeletal, some pale-eyed, some golden-radiant, others dark like storm-clouds, and others smoke-coloured—emphasizing their frightening, otherworldly variety.