Shloka 22
आसीज्निष्ठानको घोरो निर्घातश्न महानभूत्,उस समय प्रलयकालीन मेघोंकी भयानक गर्जनाके समान भारी आवाजके साथ बड़े जोरकी आँधी चलने लगी। वज्रपातका-सा अत्यन्त कर्कश शब्द होने लगा। आकाशसे उल्काएँ गिरने लगीं तथा राहुने बिना पर्वके ही सूर्यको ग्रस लिया और प्रजाके लिये अत्यन्त घोर भय उपस्थित कर दिया
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | āsīn niṣṭhānako ghoro nirghātaś ca mahān abhūt | pralayakālīna-meghānāṃ bhīṣaṇa-garjanā-samo mahāśabdo 'bhavat | balavān vāyur avāt | vajrapāta-samo 'tyanta-karkaśaḥ śabdo 'bhavat | ākāśād ulkāḥ papātuḥ | rāhuś ca aparvaṇi sūryaṃ jagrāha, prajābhyo 'tyantaṃ ghoraṃ bhayam utpādayām āsa ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “A dreadful, crashing tumult arose—like the terrifying roar of clouds at the time of cosmic dissolution. A violent wind began to blow, and a harsh sound like a thunderbolt’s strike resounded. Meteors fell from the sky, and Rāhu, without the proper occasion, seized the sun, casting the people into extreme fear. These ominous portents signal a moral disorder ripening into calamity, as adharma gathers force and the world itself seems to protest impending ruin.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
When rulers and assemblies drift from dharma, the narrative frames the world itself as reflecting that imbalance through portents—fear, disorder, and ominous signs. The ethical point is that adharma is not merely private wrongdoing; it destabilizes society and invites collective suffering.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reports terrifying omens: a catastrophic roar like pralaya-clouds, violent winds, thunderbolt-like sounds, meteors falling, and an untimely eclipse as Rāhu seizes the sun. These signs heighten the sense that a grave crisis is unfolding and that disastrous consequences are near.