Shloka 14

उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents

Devanagari script

मघास्वड्रारको वक्र: श्रवणे च बृहस्पति: । भगं नक्षत्रमाक्रम्य सूर्यपुत्रेण पीड्यते,मंगल वक्र होकर मघा नक्षत्रपर स्थित है, बृहस्पति श्रवण नक्षत्रपर विराजमान है तथा सूर्यपुत्र शनि पूर्वा फाल्गुनी नक्षत्रपर पहुँचकर उसे पीड़ा दे रहा है

Transliteration

maghāsv aḍrārako vakraḥ śravaṇe ca bṛhaspatiḥ | bhagaṃ nakṣatram ākramya sūryaputreṇa pīḍyate ||

Translation

مَغھا نक्षتر میں مریخ رجعت میں ہے، شروَن میں مشتری ٹھہرا ہوا ہے؛ اور سورج پتر زحل بھگ (پوروا پھالگنی) نक्षتر پر چڑھ کر اسے ستا رہا ہے۔

Word by Word

मघासुin (the) Maghā (asterisms)

अड्रारकःAḍrāraka (a planet/astral entity; likely Mars in context)

वक्रःretrograde, crooked

श्रवणेin (the) Śravaṇa (asterism)

चand

बृहस्पतिःBṛhaspati (Jupiter)

भगम्Bhaga (name of a nakṣatra/deity; here: the Bhaga nakṣatra)

नक्षत्रम्asterism, lunar mansion

आक्रम्यhaving approached/overrun

सूर्यपुत्रेणby the son of the Sun (i.e., Śani/Saturn)

पीड्यतेis afflicted/tormented

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Aṅgāraka (Mars)

Bṛhaspati (Jupiter)

Śani (Saturn, Sūryaputra)

Maghā (nakṣatra)

Śravaṇa (nakṣatra)

Bhaga / Pūrvaphālgunī (nakṣatra)

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 frames celestial disturbances as moral and social warnings: when adharma rises and conflict becomes inevitable, even the heavens are described as ‘out of joint,’ urging reflection, restraint, and a return to righteous conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa reports specific planetary positions—Mars retrograde in Maghā, Jupiter in Śravaṇa, and Saturn afflicting the Bhaga/Pūrvaphālgunī asterism—as ominous signs foretelling the coming devastation of the Kurukṣetra war.