Shloka 17
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
भगुसूनुधरापुत्रौो शशिजेन समन्वितौ । चरम॑ पाण्डुपुत्राणां पुरस्तात् सर्वभूभुजाम्,शुक्र और मंगल बुधसे संयुक्त हो पाण्डवोंके पृष्ठभागमें तथा अन्य सब नरेशोंके सम्मुख उदित हुए थे
bhṛgusūnudharāputrau śaśijena samanvitau | caramaṃ pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ purastāt sarvabhūbhujām ||
Sañjaya said: Venus, the son of Bhṛgu, and Mars, the son of the Earth, accompanied by the Moon, rose in the sky—appearing at the rear of the sons of Pāṇḍu and in front of all the other kings. In the war-narrative, such celestial configurations are presented as ominous portents, suggesting a moral and fateful pressure upon rulers: their choices in adharma-driven conflict draw the very heavens into the language of warning.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames planetary positions as moral-psychological warnings in a dharma narrative: when rulers persist in destructive conflict, the cosmos is depicted as signaling danger, urging restraint, right counsel, and responsibility in kingship.
Sañjaya reports an astronomical/astrological sign: Venus and Mars, together with Mercury (described as Moon-born), are seen rising in positions described as behind the Pāṇḍavas and before the other kings—an ominous configuration interpreted as a portent amid the Kurukṣetra war.