Shloka 5
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
तथैवान्याश्न दृश्यने स्त्रियो वै ब्रह्मवादिनाम् । वैनतेयान् मयूरांश्व जनयन्ति पुरे तव,गरुड़ पक्षीके मस्तकपर शिखा और सींग हैं। उनके तीन पैर तथा चार दाढ़ें दिखायी देती हैं। इसी प्रकार अन्य जीव भी देखे जाते हैं। वेदवादी ब्राह्मणोंकी स्त्रियाँ तुम्हारे नगरमें गरुड़ और मोर पैदा करती हैं
tathaivānyāś ca dṛśyante striyo vai brahmavādinām | vainateyān mayūrāṁś ca janayanti pure tava ||
Likewise, other strange sights are seen: the wives of Brahmanical seers, devoted to Vedic discourse, are said to give birth in your city to beings like Garuḍas (Vainateyas, sons of Vinatā) and to peacocks. The saying deepens the air of marvel and inversion, as though nature itself were casting portents within your realm.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys a sense of ominous marvel: when the natural order appears inverted—such as human women producing bird-like beings—it functions as a portent. In Mahābhārata’s ethical world, such signs warn rulers to reflect on dharma and the moral condition of the realm.
Vyāsa reports extraordinary phenomena occurring in the listener’s city, describing that even the wives of Vedic expounders are said to produce Garuḍa-like beings and peacocks—part of a broader catalogue of strange sights meant to signal an unsettled time.