Shloka 20

Devanagari script

हरिवक्त्रा: क्रौड्चमुखा: कपोतेभमुखास्तथा । पारावतमुखाश्वैव मद्गुवक्त्रास्तथैव च,इसी प्रकार बहुत-से गण कछुए, नाकें, सूँस, बड़े-बड़े मगर, तिमि नामक मत्स्य, मोर, क्रौंच (कुरर), कबूतर, हाथी, परेवा तथा मदगु नामक जलपक्षीके समान मुखवाले थे

Transliteration

harivaktrāḥ krauñcamukhāḥ kapotebhamukhās tathā | pārāvatamukhāś caiva madguvaktrās tathaiva ca ||

Translation

Wika ni Sañjaya: “May mga pangkat na may mukhang gaya ng leon; may iba na gaya ng ibong krauñca; may iba na gaya ng kalapati at elepante; may iba na gaya ng kalapati-ramo; at may iba pa na gaya ng ibong-tubig na madgu.”

Word by Word

हरिवक्त्राःhaving faces like lions

क्रौञ्चमुखाःhaving faces like krauñca birds

कपोतेभमुखाःhaving faces like pigeons and elephants

तथाand likewise

पारावतमुखाःhaving faces like doves

चand

एवindeed/just

मद्गुवक्त्राःhaving faces like madgu water-birds

तथैवjust so/likewise

चand

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

gaṇāḥ (bands/hosts)

hari (lion)

krauñca (bird)

kapota (pigeon)

ibha (elephant)

pārāvata (dove)

madgu (water-bird)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contributes to the ethical atmosphere of the Sauptika episode: the many-formed, animal-faced hosts symbolize the unsettling, disorderly forces unleashed when warfare slips into nocturnal massacre. The imagery reinforces that adharma distorts the world’s moral order and invites fearful consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the strange bands accompanying the night-time events of the Sauptika Parva. He lists the varied animal-like faces of these beings, intensifying the ominous tone surrounding the impending nocturnal slaughter in the camp.