Shloka 30

उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents

Devanagari script

कृत्तिकां पीडयंस्ती&णैर्नक्षत्रं पृथिवीपते । अभीक्षणवाता वायन्ते धूमकेतुमवस्थिता:,राजन! अपने तीक्ष्ण (क्रूरतापूर्ण) कर्मोंके द्वारा उपलक्षित होनेवाला राहु (चित्रा और स्वातीके बीचमें रहकर सर्वतोभद्रचक्रगतवेधके अनुसार) कृत्तिका नक्षत्रको पीड़ा दे रहा है। बारंबार धूमकेतुका आश्रय लेकर प्रचण्ड आँधी उठती रहती है

Transliteration

kṛttikāṃ pīḍayaṃstīvrakarmaṇāir nakṣatraṃ pṛthivīpate | abhīkṣṇavātā vāyante dhūmaketum avasthitāḥ ||

Translation

Vyāsa disse: “Ó senhor da terra, Rāhu—assinalado por suas ações agudas e cruéis—agora aflige a mansão lunar Kṛttikā. E, repetidas vezes, tomando por abrigo o presságio de um cometa, erguem-se ventos violentos e sopram.”

Word by Word

• {'kṛttikām': 'Kṛttikā

• the lunar mansion (nakṣatra) associated with the Pleiades', 'pīḍayan': 'afflicting, tormenting, causing distress', 'tīvra': 'sharp, intense, fierce', 'karmaṇā': 'by actions/deeds

• here implying harsh or ominous operations', 'nakṣatram': 'star/asterism

• lunar mansion', 'pṛthivīpate': 'O lord of the earth

• king (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'abhīkṣṇam': 'repeatedly, again and again', 'vātāḥ': 'winds, gusts', 'vāyante': 'blow, move as wind', 'dhūmaketu': 'comet

• a portent in epic-astrological language', 'avasthitāḥ': 'situated, stationed

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Rāhu
• Kṛttikā (nakṣatra)
• Dhūmaketu (comet)
• Pṛthivīpati (the king, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames moral and political catastrophe as mirrored by cosmic portents: when cruel forces dominate and dharma is endangered, nature appears disordered, warning rulers to recognize consequences and act with discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa reports ominous astronomical signs to the king: Rāhu is said to ‘afflict’ the Kṛttikā nakṣatra, and fierce winds repeatedly arise in association with a comet—signals of impending calamity around the great war.