Shloka 45
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
ध्यायन्त: प्रकिरन्तश्न व्याला वेपथुसंयुता: । दीनास्तुरड्रमा: सर्वे वारणा: सलिलाश्रया:
dhyāyantaḥ prakirantaś ca vyālā vepathusaṁyutāḥ | dīnāś turagamāḥ sarve vāraṇāḥ salilāśrayāḥ ||
Vyāsa berkata: Binatang-binatang gemetar ketakutan, berdiri murung seakan termenung, dan dalam panik mengeluarkan kotoran. Kuda-kuda menjadi sangat lesu, dan gajah-gajah besar—mencari air sebagai sandaran—berlumuran peluh. Ketika adharma berkumpul menuju perang, bahkan hewan pun memantulkan rasa gentar dan kekacauan yang mendahului bencana.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the distress of animals as an ethical omen: when a great conflict is driven by adharma and impending destruction, disorder appears not only in human minds but in the natural world as well, warning of the moral cost of war.
Vyāsa describes fearful portents around the armies: beasts tremble and panic, horses lose spirit, and elephants sweat heavily and seek water—signs of anxiety and impending catastrophe as the war atmosphere intensifies.