Shloka 583
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
नद्यश्न सुमहावेगा: प्रतिस्रोतोवहा भवन् । नृपश्रेष्ठी तालाबों और कूपोंमें रक्तका उफान आने लगा और महान् वेगशालिनी नदियाँ उलटी अपने उद्गमकी ओर बहने लगीं
nadyas tu sumahāvegāḥ pratisrotovahā bhavan |
Vāyu-deva said: “The rivers, once rushing with mighty force, began to flow against their own current—turning back toward their sources. In the same ominous manner, pools and wells surged with an upwelling of blood.” In the war’s moral atmosphere, nature itself appears to recoil, signaling a grave disorder of dharma and an impending calamity.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
When adharma intensifies—especially through mass violence—its effects are portrayed as cosmic: the natural order itself seems to invert. The verse uses ominous signs to underscore ethical collapse and the inevitability of consequence.
Vāyu-deva reports terrifying portents: rivers reverse their flow and water sources appear to surge with blood. These are presented as war-omens indicating imminent catastrophe and the world’s disturbance during the Kurukṣetra conflict.