Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 11
Portents at the Birth of Diti’s Sons and Hiraṇyākṣa Challenges Varuṇa
खराश्च कर्कशै: क्षत्त: खुरैर्घ्नन्तो धरातलम् । खार्काररभसा मत्ता: पर्यधावन् वरूथश: ॥ ११ ॥
kharāś ca karkaśaiḥ kṣattaḥ khurair ghnanto dharā-talam khārkāra-rabhasā mattāḥ paryadhāvan varūthaśaḥ
ஓ க்ஷத்தா (விதுரா), கழுதைகள் கடினக் குளம்புகளால் நிலத்தைத் தட்டிக் கொண்டு, மயக்கமுற்றவையாக கூட்டம் கூட்டமாக ஓடி, கரகரப்பாக கத்தின।
Asses also feel very respectable as a race, and when they run in flocks hither and thither in so-called jollity, it is understood to be a bad sign for human society.
FAQs
This verse depicts unnatural agitation in animals—asses pounding the earth and running in troops—presented as a sign of impending upheaval, a common Bhagavatam motif where nature reflects approaching conflict or imbalance.
‘Kṣattā’ is Vidura’s title as a royal minister/attendant in the Kuru court; the address keeps the narration personal and anchored to Vidura’s role as the earnest inquirer hearing these events in sequence.
It encourages alertness: when agitation and disorder increase, one should take shelter of sādhana—hearing, chanting, and steadying the mind—rather than being swept away by the surrounding frenzy.