Mahabharata 9.23.55 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 23, Shloka 55
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
बहुतेरे विजयाभिलाषी तथा अपनेको शूरवीर माननेवाले पुरुष जहाँ-तहाँ पृथ्वीपर पड़े दिखायी देते थे ।।
raktokṣitaiś chinnabhujair avakṛṣṭaśiroruḥaiḥ | vyadṛśyata mahī kīrṇā śataśaśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||
সঞ্জয়ে ক’লে—ৰক্তে সিক্ত, কটা বাহু থকা আৰু টানি উপুঙা চুলি থকা দেহ—শ শ আৰু সহস্ৰ সহস্ৰ—এনে দেহে পৃথিৱী সৰ্বত্ৰ ছিটাই থকা দেখা গৈছিল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: the pursuit of victory and self-proclaimed heroism culminates in widespread suffering and bodily ruin, reminding the listener that martial glory is inseparable from grave human loss.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the horrific दृश्य of the battlefield—earth covered with countless slain and mutilated warriors—emphasizing the scale of destruction in the Shalya Parva fighting.
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