Shloka 25
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
क्षुककर्णी चतुष्कर्णी कर्णप्रावरणा तथा । चतुष्यथनिकेता च गोकर्णी महिषानना
kṣukakarṇī catuṣkarṇī karṇaprāvaraṇā tathā | catuṣyathaniketā ca gokarṇī mahiṣānanā
வைசம்பாயனர் கூறினார்— க்ஷுககர்ணீ, சதுஷ்கர்ணீ, கர்ணப்ராவரணா; மேலும் சதுஷ்யதனிகேதா, கோகர்ணீ, மஹிஷானனா என்ற பெயர்களுடைய (சத்துவங்களும்) இருந்தன.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the epic uses lists of uncanny, liminal figures as moral atmosphere: when adharma dominates and catastrophe nears, the world is portrayed as disturbed, and ominous presences multiply—prompting reflection on ethical collapse and its cosmic/social repercussions.
Vaiśampāyana is enumerating named beings characterized by striking physical epithets (e.g., ‘four-eared’, ‘buffalo-faced’). This cataloging intensifies the sense of dread and abnormality around the late-war setting in Śalya Parva.