Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
उल्का पेतुर्दिवो भूमावाहत्य रविमण्डलम् । राजन! पर्वत और वनोंसहित पृथ्वी भयानक शब्द करती हुई डोलने लगी और आकाशसे दण्ड तथा चलते हुए काष्ठोंसहित बहुत-सी उल्काएँ सूर्यमण्डलसे टकराकर सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें बिखरी पड़ती थीं
sañjaya uvāca | ulkā petur divo bhūmāv āhatya ravimaṇḍalam | rājan parvata-vanasahitā pṛthivī bhayānaka-śabdaṃ kurvatī dolane lagī ca, ākāśāt ca daṇḍa-sahitāni calat-kāṣṭha-sahitāni bahvyo 'ulkāḥ sūryamaṇḍalena saṃhatya sarvāsu dikṣu vikirya nipetūḥ |
三阇耶说道:“流火自天而坠,落向大地,竟撞击日轮。大王啊,大地连同群山与森林一齐震颤,发出骇人的轰鸣;又有无数炽燃的陨星自苍穹而来,挟带如杖般的光痕与如行木般的巨块,冲撞太阳之盘,随即四散迸裂,向四方坠落。”
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the epic idea that widespread adharma and mass violence disturb not only society but the very moral-cosmic order; ominous natural signs function as ethical warnings that destructive choices have consequences.
Sanjaya reports terrifying omens to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra: meteors fall and scatter across the sky, the sun’s orb is described as being struck, and the earth trembles with a dreadful sound—signals of impending calamity in the war.