Shloka 103
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
नानाचर्मभिराच्छन्ना नानाभाषाश्न भारत | कुशला देशभाषासु जल्पन्तो<न्योन्यमी श्व॒रा:,भारत! कुछ लोग नाना प्रकारके चर्ममय वस्त्रोंसे आच्छादित, नाना प्रकारकी भाषाएँ बोलनेवाले, देशकी सभी भाषाओंमें कुशल एवं परस्पर बातचीत करनेमें समर्थ थे
nānācarmabhirācchannā nānābhāṣāś ca bhārata | kuśalā deśabhāṣāsu jalpanto 'nyonyam īśvarāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, ada lelaki yang berselubung dengan pelbagai pakaian kulit, bertutur dalam pelbagai bahasa. Mahir dalam bahasa-bahasa daerah, mereka berbual sesama sendiri dengan penuh yakin.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the vast diversity gathered around the Kurukṣetra war—peoples from many regions with different languages and customs—suggesting the epic’s vision of a wide human world drawn into the conflict, where competence and coordination matter amid chaos.
Vaiśampāyana is describing groups present in the war setting: men clad in various leather coverings, speaking different regional languages, and conversing among themselves—part of a broader catalog-like depiction of the assembled forces and their variety.