Shloka 30

उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents

Devanagari script

कृत्तिकां पीडयंस्ती&णैर्नक्षत्रं पृथिवीपते । अभीक्षणवाता वायन्ते धूमकेतुमवस्थिता:

Transliteration

kṛttikāṃ pīḍayaṃstīvrakarmaṇāir nakṣatraṃ pṛthivīpate | abhīkṣṇavātā vāyante dhūmaketum avasthitāḥ ||

Translation

វ្យាសៈបានមានព្រះវាចា៖ «ឱ ព្រះអធិរាជនៃផែនដី! រាហូ—ដែលត្រូវសម្គាល់ដោយសកម្មភាពមុតស្រួច និងសាហាវ—កំពុងធ្វើឲ្យនក្ខត្រ ក្រឹត្តិកា រងទុក្ខ។ ម្តងហើយម្តងទៀត ដោយអាស្រ័យលើសញ្ញាឧប្បាតនៃផ្កាយកន្ទុយ ខ្យល់ព្យុះដ៏កាចសាហាវក៏កើតឡើង ហើយបក់បោកមិនឈប់»។

Word by Word

• {'kṛttikām': 'Kṛttikā

• the lunar mansion (nakṣatra) associated with the Pleiades', 'pīḍayan': 'afflicting, tormenting, causing distress', 'tīvra': 'sharp, intense, fierce', 'karmaṇā': 'by actions/deeds

• here implying harsh or ominous operations', 'nakṣatram': 'star/asterism

• lunar mansion', 'pṛthivīpate': 'O lord of the earth

• king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'abhīkṣṇam': 'repeatedly, again and again', 'vātāḥ': 'winds, gusts', 'vāyante': 'blow, move as wind', 'dhūmaketu': 'comet

• a portent in epic-astrological language', 'avasthitāḥ': 'situated, stationed

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Rāhu
• Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• Dhūmaketu (comet)
• Pṛthivīpati (the king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames moral and political catastrophe as mirrored by cosmic portents: when cruel forces dominate and dharma is endangered, nature appears disordered, warning rulers to recognize consequences and act with discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa reports ominous astronomical signs to the king: Rāhu is said to ‘afflict’ the Kṛttikā nakṣatra, and fierce winds repeatedly arise in association with a comet—signals of impending calamity around the great war.