Shloka 18
Udyoga Parva 142: Vidura’s warning to Kuntī and Kuntī’s resolve to meet Karṇa
Gaṅgātīra encounter begins
मयूरा: पुण्यशकुना हंससारसचातका: । जीवंजीवकसडसघाश्षाप्यनुगच्छन्ति पाण्डवान्,“मोर, शुभ शकुन सूचित करनेवाले मुर्गे, हंस, सारस, चातक तथा चकोरोंके समुदाय पाण्डवोंका अनुसरण करते हैं
sañjaya uvāca | mayūrāḥ puṇyaśakunā haṃsasārasacātakāḥ | jīvaṃjīvakasāḍasaghāś cāpy anugacchanti pāṇḍavān |
Sañjaya dit : «Des paons — oiseaux de bon augure — ainsi que des cygnes, des grues, des hérons, des oiseaux cātaka, et même des volées d’autres oiseaux porteurs de présages, sont vus suivant les Pāṇḍava.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses traditional omen-language to imply that moral merit (puṇya) and auspicious destiny align with the Pāṇḍavas. In the epic’s ethical frame, favorable signs are read as nature’s and providence’s endorsement of a dharmic cause.
Sañjaya reports to the Kuru court that auspicious birds are observed accompanying the Pāṇḍavas. This functions as a narrative signal—amid preparations for war—that the Pāṇḍavas are being ‘followed’ by good omens, foreshadowing their eventual success.