16.001
Mausala Parva (Section of Clubs)
Vaiśampāyana said.
But when the thirty-sixth year arrived, Yudhishthira, the delight of the Kauravas, saw inauspicious omens. (16-1-1)
Harsh winds with thunderclaps and hail blew, and birds, as ill omens, circled to the left. (16-1-2)
The great rivers were covered, the directions were shrouded in fog. Meteors and fiery coals rained down from the sky onto the earth. (16-1-3)
O king, the Sun, whose disk was completely covered by dust and whose rays were dispersed, was always seen at sunrise as if concealed by clouds. (16-1-4)
Terrifying haloes are seen around the Moon and the Sun—three-colored, with endings of dark and harsh shades, and also displaying the luster of ash and red. (16-1-5)
These and many other omens, portending danger, are seen every day, O King, and they cause agitation of the heart. (16-1-6)
Then, after some time, King Yudhishthira of the Kurus heard that the Vrishni clan had been slaughtered at Mausala. (16-1-7)
When the Pāṇḍava heard that Vāsudeva had been released and Rāma as well, he assembled his brothers and said, "What shall we do now?" (16-1-8)
When the Pāṇḍavas heard that the Vṛṣṇis, compelled by the force of the Brahma-daṇḍa, had destroyed each other, they became distressed. (16-1-9)
The heroes did not believe in the destruction of Vāsudeva, just as one would not believe in the drying up of the ocean, the demise of the wielder of Śārṅga (Kṛṣṇa). (16-1-10)
When they heard of the Mausala event, filled with suffering and sorrow, dejected and with their resolves destroyed, the Pāṇḍavas sat down together. (16-1-11)
