Shloka 48
अस्त्रयुद्धे द्रौणिपार्थसंघर्षः — Karṇa’s Bhārgavāstra and the Search for Yudhiṣṭhira
Chapter 45
स्थितानभिमुखान् घोरानन्योन्यमभिभाषत: । “देखो, सहस्रों घोर कंक और गीध एकत्र होकर सामने खड़े हैं और आपसमें कुछ बोल भी रहे हैं ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
sthitān abhimukhān ghorān anyonyam abhibhāṣataḥ |
"dekho, sahasroṃ ghora kaṅka aur gīdha ekatra hokar sāmane khaṛe haiṃ aur āpas meṃ kuch bol bhī rahe haiṃ" ||
rajjitāś ca āmara-yuktās tava karṇa mahā-rathe |
pravarāḥ prajvalanty ete dhvajaś caiva prakampate |
"karṇa! tumhāre viśāl ratha meṃ baṃdhe hue ye raṅgīn aur śreṣṭha cāṃvara sahasā prajvalit ho uṭhe haiṃ aur tumhārī dhvajā bhī jor-jor se hilne lagī hai" ||
サンジャヤは言った。「見よ——恐るべき鷺と禿鷲が、幾千ともなく集まり、我らに向かって立ち、互いに呼び交わしている。さらに、ああカルナよ、汝の大いなる戦車に結び付けられた、見事で色鮮やかな牦牛尾の払子（チャーマラ）は、たちまち炎のごとく燃え立つかに見え、汝の旗幡も激しく震えている。」 『マハーバーラタ』の戦の道徳的気配の中で、かかる兆しは単なる見世物ではない。吉祥の秩序が乱れたことを告げ、驕りと攻撃心が戦士たちを破滅へ引きずると警める——野心が自制を拒むとき、分別を促すのである。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical motif that adharma-driven warfare distorts the natural and moral order, manifesting as ominous signs. Such portents function as warnings: when power and pride ignore restraint, even royal symbols of honor (fans, banner) become unstable, hinting at impending downfall.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that fearful birds (herons and vultures) mass in front of the warriors and cry to one another—an inauspicious battlefield omen. He then addresses Karṇa directly, noting that the chariot’s royal fans appear to flare up and the banner shakes violently, signaling danger and ill fortune for Karṇa’s side.