Shloka 1
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
ऑपनआक्रात बछ। अर तृतीयो<थध्याय: व्यासजीके द्वारा अमंगलसूचक उत्पातों तथा विजयसूचक लक्षणोंका वर्णन व्यास उवाच खरा गोषु प्रजायन्ते रमन्ते मातृभि: सुता: । अनार्तवं पुष्पफलं दर्शयन्ति वनद्रुमा:
vyāsa uvāca | kharā goṣu prajāyante ramante mātṛbhiḥ sutāḥ | anārtavaṃ puṣpaphalaṃ darśayanti vanadrumāḥ |
Vyāsa berkata: “Wahai Raja, keledai lahir dari sapi; para putra bergaul secara nista dengan ibu mereka sendiri. Pohon-pohon hutan menampakkan bunga dan buah di luar musim. Inilah pertanda-pertanda celaka, menyingkap runtuhnya tatanan alam dan kendali dharma menjelang perang besar.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma declines, disorder appears both in society and in nature. The verse uses shocking reversals—unnatural births, incest, and untimely flowering—to warn that ethical collapse and impending violence are reflected as cosmic imbalance.
Vyāsa reports a set of ominous portents to the king as the Kurukṣetra war nears. These signs are presented as forewarnings of catastrophe and as indicators that the world’s normal order has been disturbed.