Shloka 4
अध्याय २८१ — दानधर्मः, न्यायागतधनम्, ऋणत्रय-परिशोधनं च
Dāna ethics, lawful wealth, and settling obligations
उल्काश्ष् ज्वलितास्तस्य दीप्ता: पाश्वे प्रपेदिरे,उसके पार्श्चभागमें प्रज्वलित एवं प्रकाशित उल्काएँ गिरने लगीं। गीध, कंक, बगले आदि भयंकर पक्षी अपनी बोली सुनाने लगे और एक-दूसरेसे सटकर वृत्रासुरके ऊपर चक्रकी भाँति घूमने लगे
ulkāś ca jvalitās tasya dīptāḥ pārśve prapedire | gṛdhra-kaṅka-bakādayaḥ krūrāḥ pakṣiṇaḥ svāṃ vācaṃ prāduścakruḥ parasparaṃ saṃśliṣyā vṛtrāsurasya upari cakravat paryavartanta |
तेव्हा त्याच्या पार्श्वभागी अग्निदीप्त, प्रज्वलित उल्का पडू लागल्या.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses ominous natural signs—meteors and carrion birds—to suggest that adharma and impending destruction manifest not only in human affairs but also as disturbances perceived in nature; it functions as a moral warning about the consequences of violent disorder.
Bhīṣma describes fearful portents: fiery meteors fall nearby, and dreadful birds cry out and circle tightly above Vṛtrāsura in a wheel-like formation, indicating an ominous, threatening moment.