उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
पतन्त्युल्का सनिर्घाता: शक्राशनिसमप्रभा: । अद्य चैव निशां व्युष्टामनयं समवाप्स्यथ
patanty ulkā sanirghātāḥ śakrāśani-samaprabhāḥ | adya caiva niśāṁ vyuṣṭām anayaṁ samavāpsyatha ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Meteor-meteor berapi jatuh dengan dentuman, menyala seperti vajra Indra. Dan begitu malam ini berlalu dan fajar tiba, kalian akan mulai menerima akibat dari ketidakadilan kalian.”
व्यास उवाच
Adharma is not merely a moral fault but a causal force: wrongdoing ripens into inevitable consequences. The ominous celestial signs underscore that ethical disorder in human action is mirrored by disturbance in nature, and that retribution (karma-phala) begins to manifest without delay.
Vyāsa points to terrifying portents—thundering meteors blazing like Indra’s thunderbolt—as a warning. He declares that once the night ends and dawn comes, the recipients of this warning will start experiencing the results of their injustice, foreshadowing imminent calamity in the unfolding war.