निमित्तं लक्षणज्ञानं शकुनिस्वरदर्शनम्।
अवश्यं सुखदुःखेषु नराणां प्रतिदृश्यते॥
nimittaṁ lakṣaṇa-jñānaṁ śakuni-svara-darśanam
avaśyaṁ sukha-duḥkheṣu narāṇāṁ pratidṛśyate
nimittam = to inform [them]; lakṣaṇa-jñānam = knowledge of bodily omens; śakuni-svara-darśanam = and understanding of birds’ cries; avaśyam = invariably; sukha-duḥkheṣu = of [their impending] happiness and distress; narāṇām = in human beings; pratidṛśyate = arise.
Knowledge of bodily omens and understanding of birds’ cries invariably arise in human beings to inform [them] of [their impending] happiness and distress.
Anticipating that one might wonder, “So what [if knowledge of bodily omens and understanding of birds’ cries invariably inform human beings of their impending happiness and distress]?” Sītā-devī speaks the next verse.
“Bodily omens” refer to twitching of the eye and so on. “Birds’ cries” refer to the cries of owls and so on.