Shloka 9
Dyūta-kathā-praśnaḥ — Inquiry into the Dice-Game Calamity
दिव्यांश्ैवान्तरिक्षांश्व॒ पार्थिवांश्व पितामह । अपि चैट्यस्य पतनाच्छन्नमौत्पातिकं महत्
divyāṁś caivāntarikṣāṁś ca pārthivāṁś ca pitāmaha | api caityasya patanāc channam autpātikaṁ mahat ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Großvater, es gibt Vorzeichen himmlischer Art, solche, die in der Zwischenregion der Lüfte erscheinen, und solche, die auf Erden entstehen. Und zudem hat sich durch den Sturz dieses heiligen Heiligtums (caitya) ein großes Unheilszeichen gezeigt – verborgen, doch von schwerer Bedeutung.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical-political vigilance: a ruler attentive to dharma also attends to warnings—celestial, atmospheric, and earthly—treating them as prompts for reflection, restraint, and prudent action rather than complacency.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Grandfather’ and reports categories of ominous signs, adding that the fall of a caitya (a sacred marker/shrine) has produced a major, though not immediately obvious, portent—seeking guidance on its significance.