Shloka 4
नारायणीयमाख्यानम् (Nārāyaṇīyam Ākhyānam) — Nārada’s Return and Hymnic Consolidation
उल्कापाता दिशां दाहो भूमिकम्पस्तथैव च । प्रादुर्भूत: क्षणे तस्मिंस्तदद्भुतमिवा भवत्,उसी क्षण उल्काएँ टूटकर गिरने लगीं। दिशाओंमें दाह होने लगा और धरती डोलने लगी। यह सब आश्वर्यकी-सी घटना घटित हुई
ulkāpātā diśāṃ dāho bhūmikampas tathaiva ca | prādurbhūtaḥ kṣaṇe tasmiṃs tad adbhutam ivābhavat ||
उल्कापाता दिशां दाहो भूमिकम्पस्तथैव च । प्रादुर्भूतः क्षणे तस्मिंस्तदद्भुतमिवाभवत् ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames sudden cosmic disturbances—meteors, blazing quarters, and an earthquake—as meaningful portents. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical world, such signs remind rulers and listeners that human conduct (dharma/adharma) is mirrored by disorder or harmony in the wider cosmos, urging vigilance, restraint, and reflection on right action.
Bhīṣma reports that, in a single instant, extraordinary phenomena appeared: meteors fell, the directions seemed to burn, and the earth shook. He presents these as an uncanny, wonder-like event—an omen marking a significant turn in the surrounding discourse and events.