Shloka 25
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
निरभश्रे विद्युतस्तीव्रा दिशश्व॒ रजसा5<वृता: । प्रादुरासन् महोल्काश्न सनिर्घाता विशाम्पते
sañjaya uvāca | nirabhraśre vidyutas tīvrā diśaś ca rajasāvṛtāḥ | prādurāsan maholkāś ca sanirghātā viśāmpate prajānātha ||
संजय बोले— प्रजानाथ! आकाश निरभ्र था, फिर भी तीव्र बिजली चमक उठी; सब दिशाएँ धूल से ढँक गईं; और वज्रपात-सी गर्जना के साथ बड़ी-बड़ी उल्काएँ प्रकट होकर गिरने लगीं।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents unnatural portents—lightning without clouds, dust-filled horizons, falling meteors—as a moral warning: when rulers and warriors proceed toward destructive conflict, the world’s order (dharma) is felt to be disturbed, and nature mirrors that imbalance.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra a series of terrifying battlefield omens: despite a clear sky, lightning flashes; dust obscures all directions; and large meteors fall with thunderous sounds—signaling impending calamity as the war intensifies.