Shloka 19
कपोती-विलापः स्वर्गसंयोगश्च
The Dove’s Lament and Celestial Reunion
मेघसंकुलमाकाशं विद्युन्मण्डलमण्डितम् | संछन्नस्तु मुहूर्तेन नौसार्थरिव सागर:
meghasaṅkulam ākāśaṁ vidyunmaṇḍalamaṇḍitam | saṁchannastu muhūrtena nausārthariva sāgaraḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：苍穹为重重云团所拥塞，又以环状电光为饰。顷刻之间，天际尽被遮蔽——如大海之上布满无数舟楫。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses vivid natural imagery to convey sudden, overwhelming change: just as the sky is swiftly covered by clouds and lightning, circumstances can rapidly envelop the world. In Śānti Parva’s ethical frame, such imagery supports reflection on impermanence and the need for steadiness in dharma amid changing conditions.
Bhīṣma describes the sky filling with dense clouds and being ornamented by lightning, becoming quickly covered—compared to the sea crowded with many boats. It sets a scene of rapid atmospheric transformation, often preparatory to a downpour or a divine/natural intervention in the surrounding passage.