Shloka 80
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
नराश्वकायै: संछन्ना भूमिरासीद् विशाम्पते । रुधिरोदकचित्रा च भीरूणां भयवर्धिनी
sañjaya uvāca |
narāśvakāyaiḥ saṃchannā bhūmir āsīd viśāṃpate |
rudhirodakacitrā ca bhīrūṇāṃ bhayavardhinī prajānātha ||
O Herr der Völker! Der Boden des Schlachtfeldes war von Haufen menschlicher und rossiger Leiber bedeckt. Von Blut, das wie Wasser floss, bespritzt und gemustert, nahm das Feld ein grauenvolles Aussehen an und mehrte die Furcht der Zaghaften.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and psychological cost of war: the battlefield’s horrific reality—corpses and blood—becomes a mirror of adharma’s consequences and a test of inner steadiness. It highlights how violence amplifies fear in the weak-minded, implicitly valuing courage, restraint, and responsibility in wielding power.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the grim scene on the battlefield: the ground is blanketed with the bodies of slain men and horses, and streams of blood make the terrain appear as if water were flowing—an appalling sight that heightens panic among the timid.