Shloka 3
अध्याय १: उत्पात-दर्शनम् तथा वृष्णि-विनाश-श्रवणम्
Omens Observed and the Hearing of the Vṛṣṇi Destruction
प्रत्यगूहुर्महानद्यो दिशो नीहारसंवृता: । उल्काश्चाज्रारवर्षिण्य: प्रापतन् गगनाद् भुवि
pratyagūhur mahānadyō diśō nīhārasaṃvṛtāḥ | ulkāś cājrāravarṣiṇyaḥ prāpatan gaganād bhuvi ||
Sungai-sungai besar seakan mengalir berbalik arah, segala penjuru terselubung kabut, dan meteor-meteor menyala—seolah menurunkan jerit yang mengerikan—jatuh dari langit ke bumi. Pembalikan alam ini menandai kekacauan moral dan kosmis, sebagai bayang-bayang awal kehancuran yang akan datang akibat merosotnya pengendalian diri dan dharma di kalangan Yādava.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma declines, its disturbance is reflected not only in human society but symbolically in nature itself. The verse uses reversals and terrifying celestial signs to underscore that moral disorder (loss of restraint, arrogance, and accumulated karma) ripens into unavoidable consequences.
The narrator describes ominous portents: rivers appear to run backward, the directions are shrouded in fog, and meteors fall to earth with frightening sounds. These signs foreshadow the catastrophic events of the Mausala Parva, especially the impending destruction of the Yādavas.