Rukmī’s Offer of Aid and Arjuna’s Refusal (रुक्मिप्रस्तावः—अर्जुनप्रत्याख्यानम्)
वाचश्नाप्यशरीरिण्यो दिवश्नोल्का: प्रपेदिरे । शिवाश्व भयवेदिन्यो नेदुर्दीप्ततरा भूशम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
vācaś cāpy aśarīriṇyo divaś colkāḥ prapedire |
śivāś ca bhayavedinyo nedur dīptatarā bhṛśam ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。姿なき声が聞こえ、燃えさかる流星が天より落ちた。危難を嗅ぎ取った山犬(ジャッカル)は、凶兆の響きをいよいよ強めて、激しく遠吠えした。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
When collective conduct turns away from dharma, the epic frames the world itself as responding through ominous signs—reminding rulers and communities that ethical collapse brings unavoidable consequences.
A sequence of inauspicious portents appears: disembodied voices are heard, meteors fall from the sky, and jackals howl loudly—signals that a grave crisis and destructive conflict are imminent.