Shloka 10
Gadā-yuddhe Bhīma–Duryodhanayoḥ Tumulaḥ Saṃprahāraḥ
Mace-duel’s intense exchange
राहुश्नाग्रसदादित्यमपर्वणि विशाम्पते । चकम्पे च महाकम्पं पृथिवी सवनद्रुमा,बिजलीकी गड़गड़ाहटके साथ प्रचण्ड वायु चलने लगी, सब ओर धूलिकी वर्षा होने लगी, सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ अन्धकारसे आच्छन्न हो गयीं, आकाशसे महान् शब्द तथा वज्रकी-सी गड़गड़ाहटके साथ रोंगटे खड़े कर देनेवाली सैकड़ों भयंकर उल्काएँ भूतलको विदीर्ण करती हुई गिरने लगीं। प्रजानाथ! अमावास्याके बिना ही राहुने सूर्यको ग्रस लिया, वन और वृक्षोंसहित सारी पृथ्वी जोर-जोरसे काँपने लगी
sañjaya uvāca | rāhuḥ śnāgrasad ādityam aparvaṇi viśāmpate | cakampe ca mahākampaṃ pṛthivī savanadrumā ||
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, though it was not the new-moon time, Rāhu seized and swallowed the Sun. Then the earth—together with its forests and trees—shuddered in a tremendous quake.” In the war-narrative, such cosmic portents signal a collapse of auspicious order and foreshadow grave, dharma-shaking destruction about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses an untimely eclipse and an earthquake as portents: when adharma and mass violence peak, the world is portrayed as losing its normal auspicious rhythms. It warns that unrighteous action in war brings not only human ruin but a sense of cosmic imbalance and inevitable consequence.
Sañjaya reports ominous signs to the king: Rāhu eclipses the Sun at an improper time, and the earth shakes violently with forests and trees. These are narrative signals that a catastrophic turn in the battle is imminent.