Shloka 74
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
एतानि जयमानानां लक्षणानि विशाम्पते | भवन्ति विपरीतानि मुमूर्षणां जनाधिप,राजन्! हवा जिनके अनुकूल बहती है, बादल और पक्षी भी जिनके अनुकूल होते हैं, मेघ जिनके पीछे-पीछे छत्रछाया किये चलते हैं तथा इन्द्रधनुष भी जिन्हें अनुकूल दिशामें ही दृष्टिगोचर होते हैं, उन विजयी वीरोंके लिये ये विजयके शुभ लक्षण हैं। जनेश्वर! मरणासन्न मनुष्योंको इसके विपरीत अशुभ लक्षण दिखायी देते हैं
etāni jayamānānāṁ lakṣaṇāni viśāmpate | bhavanti viparītāni mumūrṣaṇāṁ janādhipa ||
Vyāsa said: “O lord of the people, these are the auspicious signs that attend those who are rising to victory. But, O king and ruler of men, for those who are near death these very signs appear in reverse, turning into inauspicious omens.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The same phenomena can signify opposite outcomes depending on one’s destiny: auspicious omens accompany those moving toward victory, while for the death-bound the signs invert and become inauspicious—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s theme of fate operating alongside human effort.
Vyāsa addresses the king and explains the logic of battlefield omens: signs that indicate success for one side may appear reversed for those nearing destruction, preparing the listener to interpret portents around the coming conflict.