Shloka 23
Udyoga Parva 142: Vidura’s warning to Kuntī and Kuntī’s resolve to meet Karṇa
Gaṅgātīra encounter begins
सप्राकारं सपरिखं सवप्रं चारुतोरणम् । कृष्णश्न परिघस्तत्र भानुमावृत्य तिकछति,“माधव! बादल आकाशसे मांस और रक्तकी वर्षा करते हैं। अन्तरिक्षमें चहारदिवारी, खाईं, वप्र और सुन्दर फाटकोंसहित सूर्ययुक्त गन्धर्वनगर प्रकट दिखायी देता है। वहाँ सूर्यको चारों ओरसे घेरकर एक काला परिघ प्रकट होता है
sa-prākāraṃ sa-parikhaṃ sa-vapraṃ cāruto-raṇam | kṛṣṇaḥ parighas tatra bhānum āvṛtya tiṣṭhati ||
Sañjaya said: “A celestial city appears in the sky, complete with ramparts, a moat, an earthen embankment, and beautiful gateways, with the sun seeming to stand within it. There, a dark, ring-like mass surrounds and obscures the sun.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how extraordinary omens and disturbances in the natural order are read as moral and cosmic warnings—signals that adharma and impending violence bring instability to the world.
Sañjaya reports ominous sights: a fortress-like ‘city’ appearing in the sky and a dark mass encircling the sun, suggesting fearful portents as the conflict approaches.