Shloka 52
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
चन्दनागुरुपड्काक्तां प्रमदामीप्सितामिव । वसामेदोपदिग्धाज़ीं जिह्दां वैवस्चतीमिव
candana-aguru-paṅkāktāṃ pramadām īpsitām iva | vasā-medo-padigdhāṃ jīhvāṃ vaivasvatīm iva ||
Sañjaya sprach: Sie erschien wie eine ersehnte Geliebte, mit Sandel und Aloe gesalbt; doch in Wahrheit war sie mit Fett und Mark beschmiert, schrecklich anzusehen wie die Zunge Vaivasvatas (Yamas).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical revulsion of war through stark contrast: the language of adornment (sandal, aloe, beloved woman) is inverted to reveal the reality of bloodshed (fat and marrow), reminding the listener that violence corrupts even what appears splendid.
Sañjaya is describing a terrifying sight on the battlefield—something (contextually a fearsome weapon or object) coated with bodily substances—using powerful similes: outwardly like a perfumed beloved, but truly dreadful like Yama’s tongue, emphasizing the scene’s deathly menace.