Mahabharata 3.286.33 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 286, Shloka 33
Karṇa–Sūrya Saṃvāda: Satya, Dāna, and the Amoghā Śakti (कर्ण–सूर्यसंवादः)
ततस्तु राजवचनादू राक्षसा: कामरूपिण: । निर्ययुर्विकृताकारा: सहस्रशतसड्घश:
tatastu rājavacanād rākṣasāḥ kāmarūpiṇaḥ | niryayur vikṛtākārāḥ sahasraśata-saṅghaśaḥ ||
అనంతరం రాజాజ్ఞతో, ఇష్టమొచ్చిన రూపములు ధరించగల రాక్షసులు వికృతాకారములు దాల్చి, వందల వేలల గుంపులుగా నగరమునుండి బయలుదేరిరి.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how sheer power—especially when backed by royal command—can mobilize destructive forces. It implicitly warns that authority without dharma turns obedience into a vehicle for terror rather than protection.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes rākṣasas who, on the king’s order, emerge from the city in enormous bands. They are kāmarūpin (able to take any form) and appear in frightening, distorted shapes, signaling an impending threat or assault.
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