Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 49
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
तस्य शोणितदिग्धस्य सलिलेन समुक्षितम् शरीरं सम तदा भाति ख्रवन्निव मही धर:,उस समय खूनसे लथपथ हुए दुर्योधनका शरीर पानीसे भीगकर जलका स्रोत बहानेवाले पर्वतके समान प्रतीत होता था
tasya śoṇita-digdhasya salilena samukṣitam śarīraṃ saṃ tadā bhāti sravann iva mahīdharaḥ
Sañjaya said: At that time, Duryodhana’s body—smeared with blood and then drenched with water—appeared like a mountain from which streams are flowing. The image underscores the stark, impersonal reality of war: even a mighty king, driven by pride and adharma, is reduced to a wounded body, and nature-like imagery frames the battlefield’s moral consequence as something vast and unavoidable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity of war: worldly power and pride culminate in bodily suffering. By likening the blood-and-water-soaked body to a stream-bearing mountain, the narrative suggests that the consequences of adharma manifest visibly and inevitably, dwarfing personal grandeur.
Sañjaya reports Duryodhana’s condition after being grievously wounded: his blood-smeared body, wetted with water, looks like a mountain with flowing streams—an evocative battlefield image emphasizing his fallen state.
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