Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 96
Kārttikeya-Abhiṣecana: Mātṛgaṇa-Nāma Saṃkīrtana and Skanda’s Commission
चित्रमालाधरा: केचित् केचिद् रोमाननास्तथा । विग्रहैकरसा नित्यमजेया: सुरसत्तमै:
citra-mālā-dharāḥ kecit kecid romānanaḥ tathā | vigrahaika-rasā nityam ajeyāḥ sura-sattamaiḥ ||
وَیشَمپایَن نے کہا—کچھ نے عجیب و غریب ہار پہن رکھے تھے اور کچھ کے چہرے گھنے بالوں سے ڈھکے تھے۔ وہ ہمیشہ لڑائی جھگڑے ہی میں لذت پاتے تھے اور برتر ترین دیوتاؤں کے لیے بھی ہمیشہ ناقابلِ شکست تھے۔
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral danger: when conflict becomes one’s sole ‘taste’ (eka-rasa), war turns from a reluctant duty into a defining appetite. Such fixation magnifies destructive power and makes reconciliation difficult, implicitly warning that valor without restraint can oppose dharma.
Vaiśampāyana is describing formidable beings/warriors distinguished by strange garlands and hair-covered faces. Their constant delight in fighting marks them as fearsome combatants, portrayed as unconquerable even by the greatest gods.