Shloka 39
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
वृक्षानुन्मथ्य वान्त्युग्रा वाता: शर्करकर्षिण: । आभग्ना: सुमहावातैरशनीभि: समाहता:
vṛkṣān unmathya vānty ugrā vātāḥ śarkarakarṣiṇaḥ | ābhagnāḥ sumahāvātair aśanībhiḥ samāhatāḥ ||
Vyāsa describes ominous portents: fierce winds tear up trees and drag along gravel and grit. Great gusts break and shatter things, as if struck down by thunderbolts—signs of a world disturbed on the eve of war and adharma’s upheaval.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys that when society moves toward large-scale adharma—especially fratricidal war—nature itself appears disturbed. Such imagery functions as a moral warning: collective wrongdoing and unchecked aggression manifest as disorder in the world, urging restraint and return to dharma.
Vyāsa narrates terrifying omens: violent winds uproot trees, sweep gravel, and cause widespread breakage, as though everything is being struck by thunderbolts. These portents foreshadow the impending devastation of the Kurukṣetra war.