Shloka 183
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
विशेषत: कौरवाणां ध्वजिन्यामतिदारुणा: । विशेषत: कौरव-सेनामें महान् भयकी सूचना देनेवाले अत्यन्त दारुण उल्लू पक्षी भी दिखायी दे रहे थे
viśeṣataḥ kauravāṇāṃ dhvajinyām atidāruṇāḥ | viśeṣataḥ kaurava-senāyāṃ mahān bhaya-sūcanā-dāyakā atyanta-dāruṇā ulūka-pakṣiṇo 'pi dṛśyante |
Sañjaya sprach: Besonders im Schlachtaufgebot der Kauravas zeigten sich überaus schreckliche Vorzeichen. Vor allem sah man im kauravischen Heer raue, furchterregende Eulen—Omina, die große Angst ankündigen—als kündigten sie Unheil und den Verfall der Rechtschaffenheit inmitten der Gewalt des Krieges an.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how adharma-driven conflict is accompanied by ominous signs: fear and foreboding arise not merely from military danger but from the moral disorder of war, suggesting that unethical action carries its own warnings and consequences.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that especially in the Kaurava ranks dreadful omens are visible—specifically terrifying owls—traditionally read as signs of impending disaster and panic for that side.