Shloka 183
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
विशेषत: कौरवाणां ध्वजिन्यामतिदारुणा: । विशेषत: कौरव-सेनामें महान् भयकी सूचना देनेवाले अत्यन्त दारुण उल्लू पक्षी भी दिखायी दे रहे थे
viśeṣataḥ kauravāṇāṃ dhvajinyām atidāruṇāḥ | viśeṣataḥ kaurava-senāyāṃ mahān bhaya-sūcanā-dāyakā atyanta-dāruṇā ulūka-pakṣiṇo 'pi dṛśyante |
Sañjaya berkata: “Terutama di dalam barisan tempur Kaurava, tampak pertanda-pertanda yang amat mengerikan. Yang paling menonjol, di pasukan Kaurava terlihat burung hantu yang garang—alamat datangnya ketakutan besar.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how adharma-driven conflict is accompanied by ominous signs: fear and foreboding arise not merely from military danger but from the moral disorder of war, suggesting that unethical action carries its own warnings and consequences.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that especially in the Kaurava ranks dreadful omens are visible—specifically terrifying owls—traditionally read as signs of impending disaster and panic for that side.