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Shloka 20

Inauspicious Omens and Arjuna’s Return from Dvārakā

दैवतानि रुदन्तीव स्विद्यन्ति ह्युच्चलन्ति च । इमे जनपदा ग्रामा: पुरोद्यानाकराश्रमा: । भ्रष्टश्रियो निरानन्दा: किमघं दर्शयन्ति न: ॥ २० ॥

daivatāni rudantīva svidyanti hy uccalanti ca ime jana-padā grāmāḥ purodyānākarāśramāḥ bhraṣṭa-śriyo nirānandāḥ kim aghaṁ darśayanti naḥ

The Deities in the temples seem to be weeping, sweating, and as if about to depart. Cities and villages, gardens, mines, and hermitages have lost their beauty and all joy. What calamity are these omens showing us?

daivatānithe deities
daivatāni:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootdaivata (दैवत प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)
rudanticry
rudanti:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootrud (रुद् धातु)
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)
ivaas if
iva:
Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootiva (अव्यय)
Formउपमार्थक-अव्यय (particle of comparison)
svidyantisweat
svidyanti:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootsvid (स्विद् धातु)
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)
hiindeed
hi:
Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
TypeIndeclinable
Roothi (अव्यय)
Formनिपात (emphatic/indeed)
uccalantimove about/are agitated
uccalanti:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootut + cal (उत्-चल् धातु)
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural)
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)
imethese
ime:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootidam (इदम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम (Pronoun), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)
jana-padāḥcountries/regions
jana-padāḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootjana (जन प्रातिपदिक) + pada (पद प्रातिपदिक)
Formतत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: 'जनानां पदाः' → 'countries/regions'), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)
grāmāḥvillages
grāmāḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootgrāma (ग्राम प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)
pura-udyāna-ākara-āśramāḥtowns, gardens, mines, and hermitages
pura-udyāna-ākara-āśramāḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootpura (पुर) + udyāna (उद्यान) + ākara (आकर) + āśrama (आश्रम)
Formसमाहार/इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व-समास (enumerative: towns, gardens, mines, hermitages), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)
bhraṣṭa-śriyaḥhaving lost prosperity
bhraṣṭa-śriyaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
TypeAdjective
Rootbhraṣṭa (भ्रष्ट कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + śrī (श्री प्रातिपदिक)
Formबहुव्रीहि-समास ('येषां श्रीः भ्रष्टा' = whose prosperity is lost), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)
nirānandāḥjoyless
nirānandāḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
TypeAdjective
Rootnir-ānanda (निरानन्द प्रातिपदिक)
Formउपसर्ग-युक्त-तत्पुरुष ('निर्' = without), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)
kimwhat
kim:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootkim (किम् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम (Interrogative pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)
aghamevil/misfortune
agham:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootagha (अघ प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)
darśayantishow/indicate
darśayanti:
Kriya (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootdṛś (दृश् धातु) [णिच् causative: दर्शय-]
Formलट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन (Plural), णिच्-प्रत्यय (Causative)
naḥto us/for us
naḥ:
Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान)
TypeNoun
Rootasmad (अस्मद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formसर्वनाम (Pronoun), षष्ठी/चतुर्थी-एकवचन (Genitive/Dative singular enclitic: 'of us/to us')
A
Arjuna
L
Lord Krishna

FAQs

In this verse Arjuna observes widespread inauspicious signs—deities seeming to weep and places losing their beauty—indicating a great calamity connected with Krishna’s departure.

Returning and sensing that something is terribly wrong, Arjuna interprets the unnatural omens and the joyless atmosphere as signals of a major loss—soon understood as Lord Krishna’s disappearance.

It teaches attentiveness to spiritual decline: when devotion and divine remembrance fade, life feels joyless—so one should restore spiritual practice and seek Krishna’s shelter.