Shloka 17
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
भगुसूनुधरापुत्रौो शशिजेन समन्वितौ । चरम॑ पाण्डुपुत्राणां पुरस्तात् सर्वभूभुजाम्,शुक्र और मंगल बुधसे संयुक्त हो पाण्डवोंके पृष्ठभागमें तथा अन्य सब नरेशोंके सम्मुख उदित हुए थे
bhṛgusūnudharāputrau śaśijena samanvitau | caramaṃ pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ purastāt sarvabhūbhujām ||
Sañjaya sprach: Venus, der Sohn Bhṛgus, und Mars, der Sohn der Erde, stiegen, vom Mond begleitet, am Himmel empor—hinter den Söhnen Pāṇḍus und vor allen übrigen Königen sichtbar.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames planetary positions as moral-psychological warnings in a dharma narrative: when rulers persist in destructive conflict, the cosmos is depicted as signaling danger, urging restraint, right counsel, and responsibility in kingship.
Sañjaya reports an astronomical/astrological sign: Venus and Mars, together with Mercury (described as Moon-born), are seen rising in positions described as behind the Pāṇḍavas and before the other kings—an ominous configuration interpreted as a portent amid the Kurukṣetra war.