Shloka 42
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
गुहाश्मशानवासिन्य: शैलप्रस्रवणालया: । नानाभरणधारिण्यो नानामाल्याम्बरास्तथा,गुफाएँ, श्मशान, पर्वत और झरने भी उनके निवासस्थान हैं। वे नाना प्रकारके आभूषण, पुष्पहार और वस्त्र धारण करती हैं
guhāśmaśānavāsinyaḥ śailaprasravaṇālayāḥ | nānābharaṇadhāriṇyo nānāmālyāmbarās tathā ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Mereka mendiami gua-gua dan tanah pembakaran mayat, menjadikan gunung-ganang serta mata air dan air terjun yang mengalir sebagai tempat tinggal. Mereka berhias dengan pelbagai jenis perhiasan, dan demikian juga mengenakan kalungan bunga serta pakaian yang beraneka ragam.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse evokes beings who inhabit boundary-spaces—caves and cremation grounds—suggesting that adharma and the violence of war draw forth unsettling, liminal forces. It cautions that moral disorder is mirrored by a disturbed natural and social world.
Vaiśampāyana describes fearsome female beings (implied by the feminine plurals) and their habitats—caves, charnel grounds, mountains, and waterfalls—while noting their striking adornments of jewelry, garlands, and clothing, as part of a broader depiction of ominous or extraordinary presences around the war.