Shloka 34
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
प्रतिस्रोतो महानद्य: सरित: शोणितोदका: । फेनायमाना: कूपाश्च कूर्दन्ति वृषभा इव,बड़ी-बड़ी नदियोंके जल रक्तके समान लाल हो गये हैं और उनकी धारा उलटे स्रोतकी ओर बहने लगी है। कुँओंसे फेन ऊपरको उठ रहे हैं, मानो वृषभ उछल रहे हों
pratisroto mahānadyāḥ saritaḥ śoṇitodakāḥ | phenāyamānāḥ kūpāś ca kūrdanti vṛṣabhā iva ||
Vyāsa said: Great rivers and streams now run against their natural current, their waters turned red like blood. Wells froth and surge upward, as if bulls were leaping—ominous portents that the moral order has been disturbed and that the coming war will be drenched in violence.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
When adharma rises and a catastrophic conflict approaches, nature itself is portrayed as reflecting moral imbalance through terrifying portents; the imagery warns of the ethical cost of war and the breakdown of order.
Vyāsa reports ominous signs: rivers reverse their flow and appear blood-red, and wells froth and surge as if living creatures were leaping—signals that the Kurukṣetra war is imminent and will be grievous.