Shloka 25
मड्गल्यार्थप्रदै:ः शब्दैरन्ववर्तन्त सर्वश: । सारसा: शतपत्राश्न हंसाश्न मधुसूदनम्,सारस, शतपत्र तथा हंस पक्षी सब ओरसे मंगलसूचक शब्द करते हुए मधुसूदन श्रीकृष्णके पीछे-पीछे जाने लगे
maṅgalārthapradaiḥ śabdair anvavartanta sarvaśaḥ | sārasāḥ śatapatrāś ca haṃsāś ca madhusūdanam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: With auspicious, blessing-bearing calls, sarasa-cranes, śatapatra-birds, and swans followed Madhusūdana (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) from every side. The scene frames Kṛṣṇa’s onward journey as one attended by omens of well-being, suggesting the moral weight and dharmic significance of his mission amid the gathering crisis.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses auspicious bird-calls as a narrative sign that Kṛṣṇa’s movement is aligned with welfare and dharmic purpose. In the Udyoga Parva’s tense pre-war setting, such omens underscore that righteous counsel and the pursuit of peace (or just action when peace fails) carry moral gravity and cosmic resonance.
As Kṛṣṇa proceeds on his way (in the broader Udyoga Parva context of negotiations and impending conflict), cranes, other named birds, and swans are described as following him from all sides while making auspicious sounds—an atmospheric detail that elevates the moment and signals favorable portents.