Shloka 23
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
पृथिवी शोणितावर्ता ध्वजोडुपसमाकुला । कुरूणां वैशसे राजन् पाण्डवैः सह भारत
pṛthivī śoṇitāvartā dhvajōḍupasamākulā | kurūṇāṃ vaiśase rājan pāṇḍavaiḥ saha bhārata ||
Wahai raja, wahai keturunan Bharata! Ketika para Kuru terjun ke pembantaian bersama para Pāṇḍava, bumi akan menjadi arus darah; pusaran merah akan bergolak di dalamnya, dan panji-panji kereta akan tampak tersebar di atas aliran itu bagaikan perahu-perahu kecil.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses stark prophetic imagery to condemn the dehumanizing scale of war: when dharma collapses into vengeance and factional hatred, the result is not honor but mass slaughter that stains the earth itself. It implicitly warns rulers that permitting adharma-driven conflict makes them responsible for a catastrophe beyond individual combat.
Vyāsa addresses the king and foretells the imminent Kurukṣetra conflict: the Kurus and Pāṇḍavas will engage in a violent massacre so intense that blood will seem to flow like rivers with whirlpools, and chariot banners will look like small boats scattered across those bloody currents.