Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 83
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
भीमा गजाननाश्रैव तथा नक्रमुखाश्न ये । गरुडानना: कड़्कमुखा वृककाकमुखास्तथा
bhīmā gajānanaś caiva tathā nakramukhāś ca ye | garuḍānanāḥ kaṅkamukhā vṛkakākamukhās tathā ||
ヴァイサṃパーヤナは言った。「また恐るべき者どももいた。象の顔をもつ者、鰐のような口をもつ者。迦楼羅（ガルダ）の相を帯びる者、鷺のような嘴をもつ者。さらに狼や烏の顔をもつ者もいた。」戦の陰鬱な気配の中、この語りは異形の捕食者めいた姿を並べて恐怖を増し、暴力が世界をねじ曲げて凶兆と戦慄の荒野へ変えたかのように示す。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war and adharma-filled violence generate an atmosphere of भय (terror) and अशुभ-लक्षण (inauspicious signs). By depicting monstrous, predatory faces, the narrative suggests that when righteousness collapses, the world appears distorted and threatening—serving as a moral warning about the consequences of unchecked aggression.
Vaiśaṃpāyana is describing terrifying beings/forms seen in the war context—figures with animal and bird faces (elephant, crocodile, Garuḍa, heron, wolf, crow). The description intensifies the scene’s dread and signals ominous conditions surrounding the conflict.