Shloka 27
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
संवत्सरस्थायिनौ च ग्रहौ प्रज्वलितावुभौ । विशाखाया: समीपस्थौ बृहस्पतिशनैश्लरी,वर्षपर्यन्त एक राशिपर रहनेवाले दो प्रकाशमान ग्रह बृहस्पति और शनैश्वर तिर्यग्वेधके द्वारा विशाखा नक्षत्रके समीप आ गये हैं
saṃvatsarasthāyinau ca grahau prajvalitāv ubhau | viśākhāyāḥ samīpasthau bṛhaspati-śanaiścarau ||
Vyāsa said: “Two blazing planets—Jupiter and Saturn—both remaining in a single zodiacal sign for a full year, have come to a position near the lunar mansion Viśākhā.” In the ethical and narrative frame of the Bhīṣma Parva, such extraordinary celestial conjunctions are presented as ominous portents, signaling a disruption of cosmic order and foreshadowing the grave moral and social upheaval that the impending war will unleash.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses an unusual astronomical configuration as a moral-symbolic warning: when cosmic signs appear disturbed, it reflects and foretells disorder in human conduct. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical vision, neglect of dharma and escalation of hostility manifest as both social chaos and ominous portents, urging restraint, reflection, and responsibility.
Vyāsa is describing alarming celestial signs preceding the great conflict. He notes that Jupiter and Saturn, shining intensely and lingering unusually long in one sign, have moved near the Viśākhā nakṣatra—an omen-like detail that contributes to the atmosphere of impending catastrophe around the Kurukṣetra war.