Shloka 35
प्रहस्तनिर्याणम्
Prahasta’s Departure and the Muster of the Rakshasa Host
व्यभ्रमाकाशमाविश्यमांसशोणितभोजनाः ।।।।मण्डलान्यपसव्यानिखगाश्चक्रूरथंप्रति ।
vyabhram ākāśam āviśya māṃsa-śoṇita-bhojanāḥ |
maṇḍalāny apasavyāni khagāś cakru rathaṃ prati ||6.57.35||
Des oiseaux charognards, nourris de chair et de sang, montèrent dans le ciel et décrivirent des cercles funestes, tournant à rebours autour du char.
The birds living on flesh and blood reached the sky and circled anticlockwise around the chariot.
FAQs
Omens function as narrative ethics: the counterclockwise circling of carrion birds signals impending destruction. The dharmic implication is that violence rooted in adharma draws ruin; satya-oriented action, by contrast, is aligned with auspicious order.
As Prahastha’s expedition proceeds, ominous birds circle the chariot anticlockwise—an inauspicious sign for the journey and battle.
The verse emphasizes moral atmosphere rather than virtue: foreboding signs that warn against the path being taken.