Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 75
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
लोहाजवक्त्रो जवन: कुम्भवकत्रश्न कुम्भक: | स्वर्णग्रीवश्च॒ कृष्णौजा हंसवक्त्रश्न चन्द्रभ:
Lohājavaktraḥ Javaṇaḥ Kumbhavaktraś ca Kumbhakaḥ | Svarṇagrīvaś ca Kṛṣṇaujā Haṃsavaktraś ca Candrabhaḥ ||
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்— (அவர்களில்) லோஹாஜவக்த்ரன், ஜவணன், கும்பவக்த்ரன், கும்பகன், ஸ்வர்ணக்ரீவன், கிருஷ்ணௌஜன், ஹம்ஸவக்த்ரன், சந்திரபன் ஆகியோரும் இருந்தனர்.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse itself is not a direct moral injunction; its ethical force is indirect: by enumerating many named warriors with distinctive epithets, it highlights the vast human participation in war and invites reflection on the weight of collective responsibility and the far-reaching consequences of adharma-driven conflict.
Vaiśampāyana, as narrator, lists a set of warriors (or notable persons in the war context) by name/epithet. This kind of catalogue passage situates the listener within the scale of the battle and records who was present among the combatants.