Shloka 24
भीष्मस्य शरवर्षः — Bhīṣma’s Arrow-Storm and Kṛṣṇa’s Impulse to Intervene
वेदयन्त्यो महाराज महद् वैशसमागतम् । दिश: प्रज्वलिता राजन् पांसुवर्ष पपात च
vedayantyo mahārāja mahad vaiśasam āgatam | diśaḥ prajvalitā rājan pāṃsuvarṣa papāta ca ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó grande rei, presságios funestos proclamavam que uma vasta calamidade havia chegado. Ó soberano, os quadrantes do céu pareciam arder, e uma chuva de poeira caía por toda parte.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When collective adharma ripens into war, nature itself is portrayed as reflecting moral disorder through ominous signs; the verse underscores the ethical gravity of impending slaughter and the responsibility of rulers to heed warnings.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that terrifying portents are appearing—directions seem to burn and dust falls like rain—signaling that a great catastrophe and mass killing are imminent on the battlefield.