Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 82
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
मत्स्यमेषाननाक्षान्ये अजाविमहिषानना: । ऋक्षशार्दूलवक्त्राश्न दीपिसिंहाननास्तथा,किन्हीं-किन्हींके मुख मछली, मेढे, बकरी, भेड़, भैंसे, रीछ, व्याप्र, भेड़िये तथा सिंहोंके समान थे
matsyameṣānanākṣāṇye ajāvimahiṣānanāḥ | ṛkṣaśārdūlavaktrāś ca dīpisimhānanās tathā ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「その中には、魚や牡羊のような顔をもつ者があり、また山羊・羊・水牛の顔を帯びる者もいた。熊や虎の面相の者もいれば、猛き獅子の相を示す者もいた——それは世が不自然へと転じた兆しであり、戦が解き放った道義の乱れを映すものであった。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that when adharma dominates—especially through mass violence—nature and society are depicted as becoming distorted. Such monstrous, mixed forms function as moral-symbolic warnings about the consequences of unrighteous war.
Vaiśampāyana describes terrifying, unnatural figures with faces resembling various animals. The description serves as an ominous sign (nimitta) accompanying the catastrophic events of the Kurukṣetra war.