Shloka 231
Bhīṣma’s Recollection of the Duel: Charioteer’s Fall, Brahmin Protection, and Portents after Rāma’s Collapse
प्रजज्वाल नभो राजन् धूमायन्ते दिशो दश । न स्थातुमन्तरिक्षे च शेकुराकाशगास्तदा
prajajvāla nabho rājan dhūmāyante diśo daśa | na sthātum antarīkṣe ca śekur ākāśagās tadā ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು— ಓ ರಾಜನೇ! ಆಕಾಶವು ಬೆಂಕಿಯಂತೆ ಪ್ರಜ್ವಲಿಸಿತು; ಹತ್ತು ದಿಕ್ಕುಗಳೂ ಹೊಗೆಯಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿದವು. ಆ ವೇಳೆಗೆ ಆಕಾಶದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಂಚರಿಸುವವರೂ ಅಂತರಿಕ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಲ್ಲಲಾರದೆ ಹೋದರು.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how grave adharma and impending mass violence are mirrored by unsettling portents in nature; a ruler should read such signs as warnings to restrain conflict and uphold dharma.
Bhīṣma reports terrifying omens: the sky appears to burn, smoke fills all directions, and even sky-moving beings cannot remain in the atmosphere—signaling an extraordinary, ominous moment as war approaches.