Shloka 23
Bhīṣma’s Retrospective of the Jāmadagnya Rāma Encounter
Divyāstra-Pratiyuddha and Twilight Cessation
ततस्तस्मिन् निपतिते रामे भूरिसहस्रदे । आवव्रुर्जलदा व्योम क्षरन्तो रुधिरं बहु
tatastasmīn nipatite rāme bhūrisahasrade | āvavruḥ jaladā vyoma kṣaranto rudhiraṃ bahu || vavuśca vātāḥ paruṣāś calitā ca vasundharā | gṛdhrā balāśinaḥ kāṅkāś ca paripetur mudā yutāḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：当罗摩倒下之时，云覆苍穹，倾注大量血雨。狂风骤起，大地震颤。秃鹫、乌鸦与鸢鸟欢然盘旋四方——大将陨落之际的凶兆。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses terrifying natural portents—blood-rain, fierce winds, trembling earth, and carrion birds—to suggest that extreme violence and the fall of a great figure disturb moral and cosmic balance. It cautions that actions in war have consequences beyond the battlefield, casting an ethical shadow even over martial prowess.
Bhīṣma describes the moment when Rāma (Paraśurāma) falls: the sky is covered by clouds that seem to rain blood, violent winds blow, the earth shakes, and scavenger birds circle joyfully—traditional epic signs of calamity and impending destruction.