Shloka 42
कामीकवन-समागमः
Kāmyaka Forest Meeting: Kṛṣṇa’s Visit; Mārkaṇḍeya and Nārada Arrive
एकपफक्षाक्षिचरणा वर्तिका घोरदर्शना । रक्त वमन्ती ददृशे प्रत्यादित्यमभासुरा,एक पाँख, एक आँख तथा एक पैरवाली भयंकर और मलिन वर्तिका (बटेर चिड़िया) सूर्यकी ओर रक्त उगलती हुई दिखायी दी
Vaishampāyana uvāca: ekapakṣākṣicaraṇā vartikā ghoradarśanā | raktaṁ vamantī dadṛśe pratyādityam abhāsurā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: A quail, dreadful to behold—having only one wing, one eye, and one foot—was seen, grim and inauspicious, vomiting blood toward the sun. The sight functions as an ominous portent, warning that disorder and impending calamity arise when the natural order (dharma) is violated.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the epic uses ominous natural signs to signal moral and social imbalance: when dharma is disturbed, the world appears disordered, and such portents warn listeners to reflect, restrain wrongdoing, and return to righteous conduct.
Vaiśampāyana reports a frightening omen: a deformed quail (with one wing, one eye, and one foot) is seen vomiting blood toward the sun. The description serves to foreshadow danger and intensify the atmosphere of impending calamity.