Shloka 99
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
हस्तिनासा: कूर्मनासा वृकनासास्तथा परे । दीर्घोच्छवासा दीर्घजड़्घा विकराला हाधोमुखा:,किन्हींकी नाक हाथी-जैसी, किन्हींकी कछुओंके समान और किन््हींकी भेड़ियों-जैसी थी। कोई लंबी साँस लेते थे। किन्हींकी जाँघें बहुत बड़ी थीं। किन्हींका मुख नीचेकी ओर था और वे विकराल दिखायी देते थे
hastināsāḥ kūrmanāsā vṛkanāsās tathā pare | dīrghocchvāsā dīrghajaṅghā vikarālā hādhomukhāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Some had noses like elephants, some like tortoises, and others like wolves. Some breathed with long, heavy exhalations; some had exceedingly long thighs. Some were dreadful to behold, with faces turned downward.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war and moral collapse are accompanied by ominous, unsettling signs—grotesque forms and fearful imagery—suggesting a world out of balance when adharma predominates.
Vaiśampāyana continues a descriptive passage listing terrifying, abnormal-looking beings (or apparitions) with animal-like features and dreadful forms, functioning as ominous portents within the Shalya Parva war narrative.