Shloka 21
Udyoga Parva 142: Vidura’s warning to Kuntī and Kuntī’s resolve to meet Karṇa
Gaṅgātīra encounter begins
उदपानाश्ष नर्दन्ति यथा गोवृषभास्तथा । धार्तराष्ट्रस्य सैन्येषु तत् पराभवलक्षणम्,“दुर्योधनकी सेनाओंमें कुएँ आदि जलाशय गाय-बैलोंके समान शब्द करते हैं। यह उसकी पराजयका लक्षण है
udapānāś ca nardanti yathā govṛṣabhās tathā | dhārtarāṣṭrasya sainyeṣu tat parābhavalakṣaṇam ||
Sañjaya said: “In Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s forces, even the wells and other water-reservoirs resound as if lowing like cows and bulls. Such uncanny sounds are an omen—an unmistakable sign of their impending defeat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata motif that collective moral decline and unjust intent manifest as ominous disturbances in nature; such signs warn that power pursued through adharma tends toward ruin.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that strange, animal-like sounds arise from wells and water sources within the Kaurava camp, interpreting them as a clear portent of defeat for Duryodhana’s side.