Shloka 26
आचार्य-क्षमा, देśa–kāla-नīti, तथा भेद-दोषः
Teacher-Reconciliation, Timing-Policy, and the Fault of Factionalism
अब हमारे शस्त्र चमक नहीं रहे हैं, घोड़े प्रसन्न नहीं जान पड़ते और अग्निहोत्रकी अग्नियाँ भी प्रज्वलित एवं उद्दीप्त नहीं हो रही हैं। यह सब अशुभकी सूचना है ।। प्रत्यादित्यं च न: सर्वे मृगा घोरप्रवादिन: । ध्वजेषु च निलीयन्ते वायसास्तन्न शोभनम्,हमारे सभी पशु सूर्यकी ओर दृष्टि करके भयंकर क्रन्दन करते हैं और रथोंकी ध्वजाओंमें कौए छिप रहे हैं। यह भी शुभसूचक नहीं है
pratyādityaṃ ca naḥ sarve mṛgā ghorapravādinaḥ | dhvajeṣu ca nilīyante vāyasās tan na śobhanam ||
Droṇa said: “All our beasts, turning their gaze toward the sun, are uttering dreadful cries; and crows are hiding themselves among the chariot-banners. This is not auspicious.” In the war-setting, these omens signal a moral and practical warning: when the atmosphere turns inauspicious, wise leaders read it as a sign of impending danger and disorder, urging caution rather than reckless pride.
द्रोण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and restraint: ominous signs are read as warnings against overconfidence, reminding leaders to act with prudence and dharmic awareness when conditions indicate looming harm.
Droṇa observes unsettling portents in the army’s surroundings—beasts crying while facing the sun and crows hiding in the chariot-standards—and interprets them as inauspicious indicators of danger ahead.