Shloka 41
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
वामार्चिर्दष्टगन्धश्न॒ मुज्चन् वै दारुणं स्वनम् । स्पर्शा गन्धा रसाश्चैव विपरीता महीपते
vāmārcir dṛṣṭa-gandhaś ca muñcan vai dāruṇaṁ svanam | sparśā gandhā rasāś caiva viparītā mahīpate ||
Vyāsa berkata: “Wahai Raja, api yajña—meski dinyalakan oleh persembahan para Brāhmaṇa—menampakkan pertanda celaka: nyalanya melingkar ke arah kiri, menghembuskan bau busuk, dan memekikkan suara yang mengerikan. Bahkan sentuhan, bau, dan rasa pun telah menjadi berlawanan. Pembalikan tatanan indria ini menandai guncangan dharma dan firasat bencana dalam perang yang akan datang.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
When the natural and ritual order becomes ‘viparīta’ (reversed)—even at the level of the senses and sacrificial fire—it is read as a moral and cosmic warning: adharma disturbs the world’s harmony, and impending violence brings signs of disorder.
Vyāsa reports ominous portents to the king: the fire kindled by priestly offerings behaves unnaturally—left-curling flames, foul odor, frightening sound—and sensory qualities (touch, smell, taste) seem inverted, foreshadowing the catastrophe of the coming war.