Shloka 18
Inauspicious Omens and Arjuna’s Return from Dvārakā
नद्यो नदाश्च क्षुभिता: सरांसि च मनांसि च । न ज्वलत्यग्निराज्येन कालोऽयं किं विधास्यति ॥ १८ ॥
nadyo nadāś ca kṣubhitāḥ sarāṁsi ca manāṁsi ca na jvalaty agnir ājyena kālo ’yaṁ kiṁ vidhāsyati
Rivers and tributaries, ponds and reservoirs—and even the mind—are all disturbed. Fire will not ignite even with ghee. What strange, extraordinary time is this? What is about to happen?
FAQs
This verse describes widespread disturbance in nature and in human minds—rivers, lakes, and even sacrificial fire behaving abnormally—signaling that a grave turning point in time is approaching.
Yudhiṣṭhira senses ominous changes and fears an impending calamity; in the chapter’s context, these portents foreshadow Lord Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance and the onset of darker influences in the world.
When the world and the mind feel disturbed, take it as a prompt to strengthen sādhana—chanting, hearing Bhāgavatam, and grounding life in dharma—rather than relying only on external stability.