Shloka 24
Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter
Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation
दीप्तायां दिशि गोमायुर्दारुणं मुहुरुन्नदत् । अनाहता दुन्दुभयो विनेदुर्भशनि:स्वना:,दिशाओंमें दाह-सा होने लगा, गीदड़ बार-बार भयंकर बोली बोलने लगा, दुन्दुभियाँ बिना बजाये ही जोर-जोरसे बजने लगीं
dīptāyāṃ diśi gomāyur dāruṇaṃ muhur unnadata | anāhatā dundubhayo vinedur bhaśaniḥ-svanāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «En una dirección el cielo parecía arder como si fuera fuego. Una y otra vez un chacal lanzó un grito espantoso, y los tambores de guerra, sin que mano alguna los golpeara, resonaron con fuerza como el estruendo del trueno.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is disturbed and a great conflict is about to unfold, nature itself is portrayed as reflecting that imbalance through ominous signs; the passage warns that adharma brings collective suffering and unavoidable consequences.
Bhīṣma reports inauspicious portents—an eerie blaze in a direction, repeated jackal howls, and drums sounding without being struck—foreshadowing the imminent calamity of the Kurukṣetra war.