Shloka 6.41.17

युद्धलक्षण-निमित्तदर्शनं तथा लङ्काद्वारव्यूहः (War Omens and the Encirclement of Lanka’s Gates)

Devanagari script

रजन्यामप्रकाशश्चसन्तापयतिचन्द्रमाः । कृष्णरक्तांशुपर्यन्तोयथालोकस्यसंक्ष्ये ।।6.41.17।।

Transliteration

rajanīyām aprakāśaś ca santāpayati candramāḥ | kṛṣṇa-raktāṃśu-paryanto yathā lokasya saṃkṣaye || 6.41.17 ||

Translation

At night the moon gives no clear light; instead it seems to scorch, ringed about with black and red rays—like the moon at the time of the world’s dissolution. The scene signals a moral and cosmic disorder accompanying the violence of war.

Context

"Like at the time of universal dissolution, the moon is not radiant, being surrounded by black and red halo at night and is tormenting."

Characters & Entities

• Moon (candramā)
• Night (rajanī)
• World (loka)
• Dissolution/End-time (saṃkṣaya)

FAQs

What is the core teaching?

When adharma and mass violence intensify, the tradition portrays nature itself as reflecting moral imbalance through ominous signs; such imagery warns that destructive choices invite suffering and collapse.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the midst of the Laṅkā war narrative, the poet describes terrifying portents: even the moon appears dim and oppressive, encircled by dark-red rays, evoking the atmosphere of universal dissolution.