Shloka 44

उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents

Devanagari script

पकक्‍्वापक्वेति सुभृशं वावाश्यन्ते वयांसि च । निलीयमन्ते ध्वजाग्रेषु क्षयाय पृथिवीक्षिताम्‌,बहुत-से पक्षी “पक्वा-पक्वा” इस शब्दका बारंबार जोर-जोरसे उच्चारण करते और ध्वजाओंके अग्रभागमें छिपते हैं। यह लक्षण राजाओंके विनाशका सूचक है

Transliteration

pakvāpakveti subhṛśaṁ vāvāśyante vayāṁsi ca | nilīyamante dhvajāgreṣu kṣayāya pṛthivīkṣitām ||

Translation

ฝูงนกส่งเสียงดังซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าว่า “สุกแล้ว-ยังไม่สุก” แล้วก็ไปหลบซ่อนอยู่ที่ปลายธงรบ นี่เป็นนิมิตแห่งความพินาศของกษัตริย์ผู้ครองแผ่นดิน—ประหนึ่งสงครามที่ขับเคลื่อนด้วยอธรรมกำลังทำให้ความฉิบหายของพวกเขาสุกงอมใกล้ถึงกาล

Word by Word

पक्व“ripe/ready” (as a bird-cry: ‘pakvā’)

अपक्व“unripe/not ready” (as a bird-cry: ‘apakvā’)

इतिthus (quoting)

सुभृशम्excessively, very much, loudly

वावाश्यन्तेthey cry out, they shriek

वयांसिbirds

चand

निलीयमन्तेthey hide, they take shelter

ध्वजाग्रेषुon the tops of the banners/standards

क्षयायfor destruction, for ruin

पृथिवीक्षिताम्of the kings (lords) of the earth

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वयांसि (birds)

ध

ध्वज (banners/flags)

प

पृथिवीक्षित् (kings, rulers of the earth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the Mahabharata’s moral logic that when conflict is driven by adharma, nature itself appears to warn of the coming collapse of unrighteous power; ominous signs foreshadow the karmic consequences awaiting kings who persist in destructive war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyasa reports a battlefield portent: birds cry out loudly with the repeated sound “pakvāpakvā” and then perch and hide on the tops of banners. This is presented as an inauspicious sign indicating imminent destruction for the assembled rulers.