Shloka 413
चचालाथ सनिर्लहादा दिशश्वैवाविलाभवन् । उस समय समुद्र, वन और चराचर प्राणियोंसहित यह पृथ्वी भयानक रूपसे हिलने लगी। सब ओर वज्रकी-सी गर्जना होने लगी और सारी दिशाएँ मलिन हो गयीं
cacālātha sa-nirlahādā diśaś caivāvilābhavan
Sañjaya said: Then the earth began to quake in a dreadful manner—together with the oceans, the forests, and all moving and unmoving beings. A thunderclap like a vajra resounded on every side, and all the quarters grew dim and sullied, as if nature itself recoiled at the violence unfolding on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as a moral rupture whose effects are not merely human but cosmic: when adharma and mass violence peak, nature is portrayed as reacting with ominous signs. It cautions that actions against dharma disturb the wider order (ṛta/dharma), and consequences reverberate beyond the immediate actors.
Sañjaya reports a terrifying omen: the earth shakes, thunder roars like Indra’s vajra, and the directions turn dim. Such portents typically mark a climactic, catastrophic moment in the battle—signaling impending destruction and the gravity of what is occurring.