Shloka 17
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
तस्यां रजन्यां घोरायां नदन्त्य: सर्वतः शिवा:
tasyāṁ rajanyāṁ ghorāyāṁ nadantyaḥ sarvataḥ śivāḥ
Sañjaya sprach: In jener schrecklichen Nacht heulten Schakale aus allen Richtungen—ein unheilvolles Zeichen, das das kommende Verderben mitten im Fortgang des Krieges ankündigte.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how traditional epic narrative uses natural omens to signal moral and existential crisis: when adharma and mass violence intensify, the world itself seems to ‘warn’ through fearful signs, urging reflection on the consequences of war.
Sañjaya describes a terrifying night during the war in which jackals howl everywhere, functioning as a portent of impending disaster and heightened dread in the battlefield atmosphere.