Shloka 9
Chapter 14: Divyāstra-Prayoga and Ṛṣi Intervention (दिव्यास्त्रप्रयोगः ऋषिसमागमश्च)
निर्घाता बहवश्चासन् पेतुरुल्का: सहस्रशः । महद् भयं च भूतानां सर्वेषां समजायत
nirghātā bahavaś cāsan petur ulkāḥ sahasraśaḥ | mahad bhayaṃ ca bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāṃ samajāyata ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Many thunderous crashes resounded like lightning-strikes; thousands of meteors fell from the sky, and a great fear seized all living beings.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grave moral disorder in human action is mirrored by भय (fear) and अशुभ-निमित्त (inauspicious portents) in the world, suggesting that adharma generates collective anxiety and signals approaching consequences.
As the Sauptika Parva’s night unfolds, the scene is marked by repeated thunder-like crashes and thousands of meteors falling, causing universal fear among creatures—an ominous atmosphere foreshadowing further violence and catastrophe.