Shloka 16
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
श्वेतो ग्रह: प्रजज्लित: सधूम इव पावक: । ऐन्द्रं तेजस्वि नक्षत्र ज्येष्ठामाक्रम्य तिषतति,केतु नामक उपग्रह धूमयुक्त अग्निके समान प्रज्वलित हो इन्द्रदेवतासम्बन्धी तेजस्वी ज्येष्ठा नक्षत्रपर जाकर स्थित है
śveto grahaḥ prajajlitaḥ sadhūma iva pāvakaḥ | aindraṃ tejasvi nakṣatraṃ jyeṣṭhām ākramya tiṣṭhati |
Wika ni Vyāsa: “Isang puting katawang-langit ang naglalagablab, na wari’y apoy na nababalutan ng usok. Ang maningning na bagay na iyon, na kaugnay ni Indra, ay sumulong sa nakṣatra na Jyeṣṭhā at doon nanatili.” Sa mabigat na himig ng Bhīṣma Parva na nagbabadya ng digmaan, ang tandang ito’y hudyat ng pagyanig sa kaayusang kosmiko—na para bang ang adharma at nalalapit na karahasan ay nagtatapon ng anino maging sa kalangitan.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a celestial portent to suggest that moral disorder and impending mass violence are mirrored by disturbances in nature; when dharma is threatened, the world itself appears unsettled, urging vigilance and ethical reflection.
Vyāsa reports an ominous astronomical sign: a bright, smoke-like blazing ‘graha’ (comet/planetary portent) has moved onto the region of the lunar mansion Jyeṣṭhā, functioning as a forewarning in the lead-up to the Kurukṣetra war.