Shloka 27
कार्त्तिकेयाभिषेकः — Consecration of Kārttikeya and the Enumeration of His Retinue
श्वाविच्छधल्यकगोधानामजैडकगवां तथा । सदृशानि वपुंष्यन्ते तत्र तत्र व्यधारयन्
śvāvichchadhalyakagodhānāmajaiḍakagavāṃ tathā | sadṛśāni vapuṃṣyante tatra tatra vyadhārayan ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Di medan perang itu mereka meletakkan, di sana sini, tubuh-tubuh yang dibuat menyerupai landak, serigala hutan (jackal), biawak, kambing, domba jantan, dan lembu—suatu helah yang menggerunkan, memperlihatkan bahawa dalam perang, tipu daya serta permainan rupa dan bayang digunakan untuk mengelirukan dan menyesatkan musuh.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare can involve deliberate deception—creating misleading appearances to confuse opponents—raising ethical tension between strategic necessity and dharmic restraint.
During the events of Śalya Parva, figures on the battlefield arrange forms/bodies made to look like various animals in different places, suggesting a tactic meant to misdirect, intimidate, or conceal real movements amid the chaos of war.