Shloka 41
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
वामार्चिर्दष्टगन्धश्न॒ मुज्चन् वै दारुणं स्वनम् । स्पर्शा गन्धा रसाश्चैव विपरीता महीपते,ब्राह्मणलोगोंके आहुति देनेपर प्रज्वलित हुई अग्नि काले, लाल और पीले रंगकी दिखायी देती है। उसकी लपटें वामावर्त होकर उठ रही हैं। उससे दुर्गन्ध निकलती है और वह भयानक शब्द प्रकट करती रहती है। राजन! स्पर्श, गन्ध तथा रस--इन सबकी स्थिति विपरीत हो गयी है
vāmārcir dṛṣṭa-gandhaś ca muñcan vai dāruṇaṁ svanam | sparśā gandhā rasāś caiva viparītā mahīpate ||
Vyāsa said: “O king, the sacrificial fire—though kindled by the Brāhmaṇas’ offerings—shows ominous signs: its flames curl in a leftward course, it gives off a foul stench, and it releases a dreadful sound. Even touch, smell, and taste have turned contrary. Such reversals in the very order of the senses signal a disturbance of dharma and a forewarning of calamity in the coming war.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
When the natural and ritual order becomes ‘viparīta’ (reversed)—even at the level of the senses and sacrificial fire—it is read as a moral and cosmic warning: adharma disturbs the world’s harmony, and impending violence brings signs of disorder.
Vyāsa reports ominous portents to the king: the fire kindled by priestly offerings behaves unnaturally—left-curling flames, foul odor, frightening sound—and sensory qualities (touch, smell, taste) seem inverted, foreshadowing the catastrophe of the coming war.