Shloka 8
Bhīṣma’s Fall, the Arrow-bed (śara-talpa), and the Establishment of Guard
कड्का गृश्रा बलाकाश्च व्याहरन्ति मुहुर्मुहुः । शिवाश्रवैवाशिवा घोरा वेदयन्त्यो महद् भयम्
sañjaya uvāca | kaṅkā gṛdhrā balākāś ca vyāharanti muhur muhuḥ | śivāś caiva aśivā ghorā vedayantyo mahad bhayam | vavāśire bhayakarā dīptāsyābhimukhe raveḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: “Garças, abutres e grous continuam a gritar, repetidas vezes. E as terríveis chacais fêmeas—inauspiciosas por sua própria natureza—soltam uivos aterradores, como se anunciassem um grande medo, voltadas para o sol, com as bocas que parecem estar em chamas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: nature itself is portrayed as signaling impending calamity. Such omens function as a reminder that adharma and mass violence invite भय (fear) and ruin, urging reflection on righteous conduct even amid inevitable conflict.
Sañjaya reports ominous signs on the battlefield—birds and she-jackals repeatedly crying and howling, turned toward the sun—interpreted as foretelling great danger and terror as the war intensifies.