Shloka 231
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
प्रजज्वाल नभो राजन् धूमायन्ते दिशो दश । न स्थातुमन्तरिक्षे च शेकुराकाशगास्तदा
prajajvāla nabho rājan dhūmāyante diśo daśa | na sthātum antarīkṣe ca śekur ākāśagās tadā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O König, der Himmel loderte, als stünde er in Flammen, und alle zehn Himmelsrichtungen waren von Rauch erfüllt. Damals konnten selbst die Wesen, die durch die Lüfte ziehen, nicht in der Mitte des Himmels verweilen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how grave adharma and impending mass violence are mirrored by unsettling portents in nature; a ruler should read such signs as warnings to restrain conflict and uphold dharma.
Bhīṣma reports terrifying omens: the sky appears to burn, smoke fills all directions, and even sky-moving beings cannot remain in the atmosphere—signaling an extraordinary, ominous moment as war approaches.