Shloka 24
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 137 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa Counsel and the Ethics of Restraint
नगरं न यथापूर्व तथा राजनिवेशनम् | शिवाश्वाशिवनिर्घोषा दीप्तां सेवन्ति वै दिशम्,“इस नगर तथा राजभवनकी शोभा अब पहले-जैसी नहीं रही। सारी दिशाएँ जलती-सी प्रतीत होती हैं और उनमें अमंगलसूचक शब्द करती हुई गीदड़ियाँ फिर रही हैं
nagaraṁ na yathāpūrva tathā rājaniveśanam | śivāśvāśivanirghoṣā dīptāṁ sevanti vai diśam |
Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương, thành quách và hoàng cung không còn như xưa. Bốn phương như bừng cháy, và bầy chó rừng (jackal) tru lên những tiếng dữ, lảng vảng khắp các hướng.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When a polity turns toward grave wrongdoing and conflict, the epic frames the world itself as reflecting moral disorder through ominous signs; such portents urge vigilance, restraint, and a return to dharma before catastrophe becomes inevitable.
The narrator describes a change in the atmosphere of the city and palace: their former splendor is gone, the directions appear as if burning, and jackals roam about making ominous cries—traditional epic signals that impending calamity (notably war and ruin) is near.