Ramayana — Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 57, Shloka 35
प्रहस्तनिर्याणम्
Prahasta’s Departure and the Muster of the Rakshasa Host
व्यभ्रमाकाशमाविश्यमांसशोणितभोजनाः ।।।।मण्डलान्यपसव्यानिखगाश्चक्रूरथंप्रति ।
vyabhram ākāśam āviśya māṃsa-śoṇita-bhojanāḥ |
maṇḍalāny apasavyāni khagāś cakru rathaṃ prati ||6.57.35||
肉と血を食らう屍肉の鳥どもが空へ舞い上がり、戦車に向かって逆回りに輪を描いて旋回した――不吉な兆しである。
The birds living on flesh and blood reached the sky and circled anticlockwise around the chariot.
FAQs
Omens function as narrative ethics: the counterclockwise circling of carrion birds signals impending destruction. The dharmic implication is that violence rooted in adharma draws ruin; satya-oriented action, by contrast, is aligned with auspicious order.
As Prahastha’s expedition proceeds, ominous birds circle the chariot anticlockwise—an inauspicious sign for the journey and battle.
The verse emphasizes moral atmosphere rather than virtue: foreboding signs that warn against the path being taken.