Shloka 23
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
विष्वग्वाता: प्रादुरासन् नीचै: शर्करवर्षिण:,इति श्रीमहाभारते शल्यपर्वणि संकुलयुद्धे त्रयोविंशो5ध्याय:
viṣvagvātāḥ prādurāsan nīcaiḥ śarkaravarṣiṇaḥ | iti śrīmahābhārate śalyaparvaṇi saṅkulayuddhe trayoviṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Winde erhoben sich aus allen Richtungen, und aus tief hängendem Himmel fiel ein Schauer von Kies.“ So endet im Śrī Mahābhārata, im Śalya Parva, im Bericht von der verworrenen, dicht verstrickten Schlacht, das dreiundzwanzigste Kapitel.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as an ominous battlefield sign: nature mirrors moral and tactical disorder. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical vision, such disturbances underscore how adharma and uncontrolled violence generate confusion and suffering that spread in all directions.
Sañjaya reports a sudden, unsettling change in the battlefield environment—winds from every side and a shower of gravel from low above—marking the intensity and confusion of the fighting. The second part is a colophon closing the chapter within the Śalya Parva’s ‘saṅkula-yuddha’ (entangled battle) narration.