The Mahabharata/Book 16: Mausala Parva/Section II

Section II.

Vaiçampāyana said,—"While the Vrishnis and the Andhakas were thus endeavouring (to avoid the impending calamity), the embodied form of Time (Death) every day wandered about their houses.1 He looked like a man of terrible and fierce aspect. Of bald head, he was black and tawny of complexion. Sometimes he was seen by the Vrishnis as he peered into their houses.2 The mighty bowmen among the Vrishnis shot hun- dreds and thousands of shafts at him, but none of these succeeded in piercing him, for he was none else than the Destroyer of all creatures.3 Day by day strong winds blew, and many were the evil omens that arose, awful and foreboding the destruction of the Vrishnis and the Andhakas.4 The streets swarmed with rats and mice. Earthen pots showed cracks or broken from no apparent cause. At night, the rats and mice ate away the hair and nails of slumbering men.5 Sārikās chirped, sitting within the houses of the Vrishnis. The noise made by those birds ceased not for even a short while by day or by night.6 The Sāraskas were heard to imitate the hooting of the owl, and goats imitated the cries, O Bhārata, of jackals.7 Many birds appeared, impelled by Death, that were pale of complexion but that had legs red of hue. Pigeons were seen to always disport in the houses of the Vrishnis.8 Asses were born of kine, and elephants of mules. Cats were born of bitches, and mouse of the mungoose.9 The Vrishnis, committing sinful acts, were not seen to feel any shame. They showed disregard for Brāhmanas and the Pitris and the deities.10 They insulted and humiliated their preceptors and seniors. Only Rāma and Janārddana acted differently. Wives deceived their husbands, and husbands deceived wives.11 Fires, when ignited, cast their flames towards the left. Sometimes they threw out flames whose splendour was blue and red.12 The Sun, whether when rising or setting over that city, seemed to be surrounded by headless trunks of human form.13 In cook-rooms, upon food that was clean and well-boiled, were seen, when it was served out for eating, innumerable worms of diverse kinds.14 When Brāhmanas, receiving gifts, blessed the day or the hour (fixed for this or that undertaking) or when high-souled men were engaging in silent recitations, the heavy trend was heard of innumerable men running about but no one could be seen to whom the sound of such tread could be ascribed.15 The constellations were repeatedly seen to be struck by the planets. None amongst the Yādavas could, however, obtain a sight of the constellation of his birth.16 When the Pānchajanya was blown in their houses, asses of dissonant and awful voice, bayed aloud from every direction.17 Beholding these signs that indicated the perverse course of Time, and seeing that the day of the new moon coincided with the thirteenth (and the fourteenth) lunation, Hrishikeça, summoning the Yādavas, said unto them these words:18—'The fourteenth lunation has been made the fifteenth by Rāhu once more. Such a day had appeared at the time of the great battle of the Bharatas. It has once more appeared, it seems, for our destruction.'19—The slayer of Keçi, viz., Janārddana, thinking upon the omens that Time showed, understood that the thirtysixth year had come, and that what Gāndhāri, burning with grief on account of the death of her sons, and deprived of all her kinsmen, had said was about to transpire.20–21 'The present is exactly similar to that time which Yudhishthira had noted at sight of those awful omens which appeared when the two armies were arrayed in order of battle.'22 Vāsudeva, having said so, endeavoured to bring about those occurrences which would make Gāndhāri's words true. That chastiser of foes commanded the Vrishnis to make a pilgrimage to some sacred water.23 The messengers forthwith proclaimed at the command of Keçava that the Vrishnis should make a journey to the sea-coast for bathing in the sacred waters of the ocean."24

• The blare of the conch is regarded as a good omen. In the houses of the Yādavas, however, as soon as a conch was blown, it was followed by the bray of asses all around. That was an evil omen.—T.

• The moon has altogether fifteen lunations. Sometime two and even three lunations coincide in course of a single solar day. The last phenomenon is called 'Tryahasparça.' Rāhu is, in really, the descending node of the moon. A Tryahasparça, brought about by the action of Rāhu, is looked upon as a very fatal day.—T.