Shloka 22
Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter
Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation
उल्काश्न शतशः पेतु: सनिर्घाता: सकम्पना: । अर्क च सहसा दीप्तं स्वर्भानुरभिसंवृणोत्
ulkāś ca śataśaḥ petuḥ sanirghātāḥ sakampanāḥ | arkaṃ ca sahasā dīptaṃ svarbhānur abhisamvṛṇot ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: Nagsimulang bumagsak ang daan-daang bulalakaw, kasabay ang mga dagundong na parang kulog at mga pagyanig; sumiklab ang lindol. At ang Araw, na nagniningning sa sariling sinag, ay biglang binalot sa lahat ng panig ni Svarbhānu (Rāhu).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is about to be violated on a massive scale, the tradition frames nature’s upheavals—meteors, earthquakes, eclipses—as moral-symbolic warnings. The verse underscores that adharma in human action is mirrored by perceived disorder in the cosmos, urging rulers and warriors to recognize consequences and restrain destructive choices.
Bhishma describes terrifying portents: meteors raining down with thunder-like crashes, the earth shaking, and the Sun suddenly being eclipsed by Svarbhanu (Rahu). These signs foreshadow the catastrophic Kurukshetra war and the suffering that will follow.