Shloka 8
Adhyaya 43 — Portents of Death (Ariṣṭa-lakṣaṇas) and the Yogin’s Response; Alarka Renounces Kingship
गृध्रः कपोतः काकालो वायसो वापि मूर्धनि ।
क्रव्यादो वा खगो नीलः षण्मासायुः प्रदर्शकः ॥
gṛdhraḥ kapotaḥ kākālo vāyaso vāpi mūrdhani / kravyādo vā khago nīlaḥ ṣaṇmāsāyuḥ pradarśakaḥ
إذا حطَّ نسرٌ أو حمامةٌ أو غرابٌ أو حتى غرابٌ أسود كبير على رأس المرء—أو حطَّ طائرٌ أزرق آكلٌ للحم كذلك—قيل إن ذلك يدلّ على أن بقية عمره ستة أشهر.
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FAQs
The passage frames mortality as legible through ‘nimittas’ (signs), encouraging vigilance, detachment, and timely performance of dharma (repentance, charity, rites) when ominous indicators appear.
It is not a Pancalakṣaṇa topic (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It belongs to ancillary dharma/nimitta instruction embedded within the Purāṇic dialogue tradition.
Carrion birds symbolize the approach of dissolution (mṛtyu) and the body’s impermanence; the ‘head’ locus suggests the eclipse of one’s vital radiance/tejas and impending severance from embodied identity.