Shloka 22
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
शशोलूकमुखी कृष्णा खरजड्घा महाजवा । शिशुमारमुखी श्वेता लोहिताक्षी विभीषणा
śaśolūkamukhī kṛṣṇā kharajaḍghā mahājavā | śiśumāramukhī śvetā lohitākṣī vibhīṣaṇā ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Một kẻ da đen, mặt như thỏ hay cú, hàm thô bạo như hàm lừa, và nhanh khủng khiếp. Kẻ khác da trắng, mặt như cá heo, mắt đỏ, đáng kinh hãi.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily serves a narrative function: it uses vivid, unsettling zoological imagery to convey dread and the atmosphere of danger. Ethically, such descriptions underscore how war and impending calamity are accompanied by fear, distortion, and ominous signs, warning listeners about the destructive psychological landscape that surrounds violence.
Vaiśampāyana is describing frightening female figures/creatures (or ominous apparitions) characterized by animal-like faces, unusual coloration, and terrifying features. The emphasis on speed, red eyes, and monstrous faces heightens the sense of foreboding within the Shalya Parva’s war-time setting.