Shloka 32
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
बन्दिभि: सतत काले स्तुवद्धिरभिनन्दिता: । शिवानामशिवा घोरा: शृण्वन्ति विविधा गिर:,“जिन्हें सदा ही समय-समयपर स्तुति करनेवाले बन्दीजन अपने वचनोंद्वारा आनन्दित करते थे, वे ही अब सियारिनोंकी अमंगलसूचक भाँति-भाँतिकी बोलियाँ सुन रहे हैं
bandibhiḥ satataṃ kāle stuvaddhir abhinanditāḥ | śivānām aśivā ghorāḥ śṛṇvanti vividhā giraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Those who were once continually gladdened at all times by bards praising them now hear instead the dreadful, inauspicious cries of jackals—varied calls that foretell evil. The verse underscores the moral reversal brought by war: worldly honor and celebration collapse into omens of ruin when adharma and violence have borne their fruit.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of worldly glory: those once sustained by praise are brought low to hear ominous sounds. It implies an ethical reckoning—violence and adharma culminate in fear, loss, and signs of ruin rather than honor.
In the aftermath of the great war, the atmosphere has turned grim. Instead of courtly celebration and eulogies, the survivors encounter inauspicious portents—jackals’ dreadful cries—signaling devastation and mourning.