Shloka 68

Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission

Devanagari script

हंसज: पड्कदिग्धाड़: समुद्रोन्मादनश्न ह । रणोत्कट: प्रहासश्न श्वेतसिद्धश्ष नन्दन:

Transliteration

haṃsajaḥ paṅkadigdhaḥ samudronmādanaś ca ha | raṇotkaṭaḥ prahāsaś ca śvetasiddhaś ca nandanaḥ ||

Translation

വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു— അവിടെ ഹംസജൻ, പങ്കദിഗ്ധൻ, സമുദ്രോന്മാദനൻ എന്നിവരും; രണോത്കടൻ, പ്രഹാസൻ; കൂടാതെ ശ്വേതസിദ്ധൻ, നന്ദനൻ എന്നിവരും ഉണ്ടായിരുന്നു.

Word by Word

हंसजःborn of a swan / swan-born (name/epithet)

पङ्कदिग्धाङ्गःwhose body is smeared with mud

समुद्रोन्मादनःocean-agitating / causing the sea to surge (epithet)

हindeed / surely (emphatic particle)

रणोत्कटःfierce in battle

प्रहासःlaughter / mockery (name/epithet)

श्वेतसिद्धःwhite and accomplished / the white perfected one (epithet)

नन्दनःNandana / the gladdener (name/epithet)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Haṃsaja

Paṅkadigdha

Samudronmādana

Raṇotkaṭa

Prahāsa

Śvetasiddha

Nandana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

This verse functions as a roll-call of warriors, highlighting the epic’s ethical perspective that war implicates innumerable individuals beyond the celebrated leaders; remembering names becomes a subtle critique of the human cost of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues the battle account by listing additional named fighters present in the conflict, adding to the broader catalogue of participants in the Shalya Parva war narrative.