Shloka 19
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
रासभारुणसंकाशा धनुष्मन्त: सविद्युतः । आवृत्य गगन मेघा मुमुचुर्मासशोणितम्
rāsabhāruṇasaṅkāśā dhanuṣmantaḥ savidyutaḥ | āvṛtya gaganaṃ meghā mumucur māsaśoṇitam ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Awan yang gelap seperti warna keldai, berbaur kemerahan, membawa lengkung seperti busur dan kilat yang menyambar-nyambar, menutupi langit lalu menurunkan hujan daging dan darah. Pemandangan itu ialah alamat ngeri—tanda runtuhnya tertib alam dan amaran awal akan kebinasaan jasmani serta keruntuhan dharma yang menyusul akibat keganasan yang tak terkawal.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a terrifying portent—blood-and-flesh rain and a sky overwhelmed by ominous clouds—to suggest that when violence and adharma intensify, even nature appears to revolt, warning humans of the ethical consequences of disorder and cruelty.
Vaiśampāyana narrates a dreadful atmospheric phenomenon: clouds cover the sky, lightning flashes, bow-like arcs appear, and the clouds pour down flesh and blood—an inauspicious sign indicating impending calamity or the aftermath of grievous wrongdoing.