Srimad Bhagavatam — Prathama Skandha, Shloka 18
Inauspicious Omens and Arjuna’s Return from Dvārakā
नद्यो नदाश्च क्षुभिता: सरांसि च मनांसि च । न ज्वलत्यग्निराज्येन कालोऽयं किं विधास्यति ॥ १८ ॥
nadyo nadāś ca kṣubhitāḥ sarāṁsi ca manāṁsi ca na jvalaty agnir ājyena kālo ’yaṁ kiṁ vidhāsyati
नद्यः नदाश्च क्षुभिताः, सरांसि मनांसि च। आज्येनाग्निर्न ज्वलति; कालोऽयं किं विधास्यति॥
FAQs
This verse describes widespread disturbance in nature and in human minds—rivers, lakes, and even sacrificial fire behaving abnormally—signaling that a grave turning point in time is approaching.
Yudhiṣṭhira senses ominous changes and fears an impending calamity; in the chapter’s context, these portents foreshadow Lord Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance and the onset of darker influences in the world.
When the world and the mind feel disturbed, take it as a prompt to strengthen sādhana—chanting, hearing Bhāgavatam, and grounding life in dharma—rather than relying only on external stability.