वैशंपायन उवाच
ततो राज्ञो धृतराष्ट्रस्य गेहे; गोमायुर् उच्चैर् व्याहरद् अग्निहोत्रे ॥
तं रासभाः प्रत्यभाषन्त राजन्; समन्ततः पक्षिणश् चैव रौद्राः ॥
तं च शब्दं विदुरस् तत्त्ववेदी; शुश्राव घोरं सुबलात्मजा च ॥
भीष्मद्रोणौ गौतमश् चापि विद्वान्; स्वस्ति स्वस्तीत्य् अपि चैवाहुर् उच्चैः ॥
ततो गान्धारी विदुरश् चैव विद्वांस्; तम् उत्पातं घोरम् आलक्ष्य राज्ञे ॥
निवेदयाम् आसतुर् आर्तवत् तदा; ततो राजा वाक्यम् इदं बभाषे ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tato rājño dhṛtarāṣṭrasya gehe; gomāyur uccair vyāharad agnihotre ||
taṃ rāsabhāḥ pratyabhāṣanta rājan; samantataḥ pakṣiṇaś caiva raudrāḥ ||
taṃ ca śabdaṃ viduras tattvavedī; śuśrāva ghoraṃ subalātmajā ca ||
bhīṣmadroṇau gautamaś cāpi vidvān; svasti svastīty api caivāhur uccaiḥ ||
tato gāndhārī viduraś caiva vidvāṃs; tam utpātaṃ ghoram ālakṣya rājñe ||
nivedayām āsatur ārtavat tadā; tato rājā vākyam idaṃ babhāṣe ||
Then in the house of King Dhritarashtra a jackal howled loudly at the place of the agnihotra; in answer to it the donkeys brayed, O king, and on every side ill-omened birds cried out. That dreadful sound was heard by Vidura, the knower of truth, and by the daughter of Subala; and Bhishma, Drona, and the learned Gautama loudly proclaimed: "Svasti, svasti!" Then Gandhari and the learned Vidura, having beheld that dreadful portent, sorrowful, reported it to the king; and the king spoke this word.
d8298b9a82f3 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:12:36 PM UTC
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Nature itself answers lawlessness: the howl of the jackal at the sacred fire, the braying of donkeys, the cry of ill-omened birds — the world shudders when dharma is trampled in an assembly of men. The place of the portent is significant — at the agnihotra, the hearth of sacrifice: there where sanctity should dwell, the voice of ruin sounds instead, for unrighteousness has defiled the very house. The elders' cry of "svasti" is a plea to avert calamity, powerless until its cause is removed. The verse teaches that wrongdoing does not go unnoticed by the universe; that portents are a merciful warning, granting a last reprieve for repentance; and that rites and invocations for well-being are futile where those who perform them do not dare to stop the evil being done.