Shloka 19
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
मेघसंकुलमाकाशं विद्युन्मण्डलमण्डितम् | संछन्नस्तु मुहूर्तेन नौसार्थरिव सागर:,आकाशमें मेघोंकी घटाएँ घिर आयीं, विद्युन्मण्डलसे उसकी अपूर्व शोभा होने लगी। जैसे समुद्र नौकारोहियोंके समुदायसे ढक जाता है, उसी प्रकार दो ही घड़ीमें जल- धाराओंके समूहसे आच्छादित हुए इन्द्रदेवने व्योममण्डलमें प्रवेश किया और क्षणभरमें इस पृथ्वीको जलराशिसे भर दिया
meghasaṅkulam ākāśaṁ vidyunmaṇḍalamaṇḍitam | saṁchannastu muhūrtena nausārthariva sāgaraḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: The sky became crowded with masses of clouds, adorned with circles of lightning. In a short while it was completely covered—like the ocean when it is filled with a multitude of boats.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses vivid natural imagery to convey sudden, overwhelming change: just as the sky is swiftly covered by clouds and lightning, circumstances can rapidly envelop the world. In Śānti Parva’s ethical frame, such imagery supports reflection on impermanence and the need for steadiness in dharma amid changing conditions.
Bhīṣma describes the sky filling with dense clouds and being ornamented by lightning, becoming quickly covered—compared to the sea crowded with many boats. It sets a scene of rapid atmospheric transformation, often preparatory to a downpour or a divine/natural intervention in the surrounding passage.