उलूकाश् चाप्य् अदृश्यन्त शंसन्तो विपुलं भयम् ॥
विशेषतः कौरवाणां ध्वजिन्याम् अतिदारुणम् ॥
ततः सैन्येषु राजेन्द्र शब्दः समभवन् महान् ॥
भेरीशब्देन महता मृदङ्गानां स्वनेन च ॥
गजानां गर्जितैश् चापि तुरङ्गाणां च हेषितैः ॥
खुरशब्दनिपातैश् च तुमुलः सर्वतो ऽभवत् ॥
ulūkāś cāpy adṛśyanta śaṃsanto vipulaṃ bhayam ||
viśeṣataḥ kauravāṇāṃ dhvajinyām atidāruṇam ||
tataḥ sainyeṣu rājendra śabdaḥ samabhavan mahān ||
bherīśabdena mahatā mṛdaṅgānāṃ svanena ca ||
gajānāṃ garjitaiś cāpi turaṅgāṇāṃ ca heṣitaiḥ ||
khuraśabdanipātaiś ca tumulaḥ sarvato 'bhavat ||
And owls too appeared, proclaiming great terror, especially among the Kauravas, in the army -- most dreadful. Then in the armies, o lord of kings, arose a great uproar: with the loud sound of kettledrums and the resonance of mridangas, and with the roaring of elephants, and the neighing of horses, and the clatter of hooves, a tumultuous roar arose everywhere.
bcc9a2f80c2e · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:31:38 PM UTC
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Owls, heralds of disaster, circle over the Kaurava camp: the omens point to whose cause is unrighteous. It is significant that man-made thunder answers them -- kettledrums, the roar of elephants: man drowns out the voice of warning with the noise of his own strife. The verse teaches that omens are sent before calamity; but those drunk on war do not heed them, drowning the anxious voice of nature under the din of their own instruments, and thereby only hasten what was foretold.