Shloka 9
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
अशोकानां वनानीवच्छन्नानि बहुशः शुभे: । रेजु: पार्थशरैस्तत्र तदा सैन्यानि भारत,भारत! उस समय कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनके बाणोंसे घायल हो लहूलुहान हुए कौरवसैनिक बहुतेरे लाल फूलोंसे आच्छादित अशोकवनके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
aśokānāṁ vanānīvacchannāni bahuśaḥ śubhaiḥ | rejuḥ pārthaśarais tatra tadā sainyāni bhārata bhārata |
قال فايشَمبايانا: يا بهاراتا، في ذلك الحين بدت جموع الكورافا هناك—وقد اخترقتها سهام بارثا وتلطّخت بالدم—كأنها بهيّة، مثل بساتين الأشوكا الكثيفة المكسوّة بكثير من الأزهار الزاهية. ويُبرز هذا التشبيه مفارقة الحرب القاتمة: فما يبدو جمالاً ليس إلا الأثر المرئي للجراح والدمار.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and aesthetic paradox of warfare: the battlefield can appear ‘beautiful’ through poetic comparison, yet that beauty is born from suffering. It invites reflection on kṣatriya duty and the cost of violence even when performed within dharma.
During the Virāṭa episode’s battle, Arjuna (Pārtha) strikes the opposing Kaurava forces with volleys of arrows. The wounded, bloodied troops are described as looking like aśoka forests covered in many red blossoms.