Shloka 6
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
गोवत्सं वडवा सूते श्वा सृगालं महीपते । कुक्कुरान् करभाश्नैव शुकाश्नाशुभवादिन:,भूपाल! घोड़ी गायके बछड़ेको जन्म देती है, कुतियाके पेटसे सियार पैदा होता है, हाथी कुत्तोंको जन्म देते हैं और तोते भी अशुभसूचक बोली बोलने लगे हैं
govatsaṁ vaḍavā sūte śvā sṛgālaṁ mahīpate | kukkurān karabhāś caiva śukāś cāśubhavādinaḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “O king, the natural order has been overturned: a mare gives birth to a calf; a bitch bears a jackal; even she-asses produce dogs; and parrots too have begun to utter inauspicious, ominous speech.” These portents signal a grave moral and social disorder, foreshadowing calamity and the ripening of adharma before the great war.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma declines, disorder appears not only in society but is also mirrored by ‘unnatural’ signs in nature. The verse uses shocking inversions of birth and speech as a moral warning: adharma ripens into collective suffering, and wise rulers should recognize such signs as a call to restraint and right conduct.
Vyāsa addresses the king and lists terrifying omens—animals producing offspring of other species and birds speaking ominously. These are presented as portents that the world’s order is disturbed and that a catastrophic outcome, namely the impending great war and its destruction, is near.