Shloka 16
मौसलोत्पत्तिः — The Birth of the Musala and the Sages’ Pronouncement
परस्परं च नक्षत्र हन्यमानं पुन: पुनः | ग्रहैरपश्यन् सर्वे ते नात्मनस्तु कथंचन,सब लोग बारंबार यह देखते थे कि नक्षत्र आपसमें तथा ग्रहोंके साथ भी टकरा जाते हैं, परन्तु कोई भी किसी तरह अपने नक्षत्रको नहीं देख पाता था
parasparaṁ ca nakṣatrāṇi hanyamānāni punaḥ punaḥ | grahair apaśyan sarve te nātmanas tu kathaṁcana ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच । परस्परं च नक्षत्रं हन्यमानं पुनः पुनः । ग्रहैरपश्यन् सर्वे ते नात्मनस्तु कथंचन ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma declines, disorder appears both outwardly (as ominous signs in nature) and inwardly (loss of self-recognition). The inability to see ‘one’s own star’ symbolizes confusion of identity and judgment, suggesting that moral and social collapse is accompanied by a dimming of self-knowledge.
The narrator reports repeated celestial portents: stars and planets seem to clash. Observers can see these frightening signs, but none can discern his own guiding star. This functions as a forewarning of the impending catastrophe described in the Mausala Parva.