Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 6
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
गन्धेन मूर्च्छित श्वाह॑ं वसारुधिरमेदसाम् | द्वैधीभूतं मनो मेड्द्य तव चैव प्रपश्यत:,“मैं चर्बी, रक्त और मेदकी गन्धसे मूर्च्छित हो रहा हूँ। आज आपके देखते-देखते मेरा मन दुविधामें पड़ गया है”
gandhena mūrcchitaḥ śvāhaṃ vasārudhira-medasām | dvaidhībhūtaṃ mano medhya tava caiva prapaśyataḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Vom Gestank von Fett, Blut und Fleisch überwältigt, bin ich wie betäubt. Und heute, selbst während du zusiehst, ist mein Geist in schmerzliche Unentschlossenheit gefallen.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological cost of violence: the physical reality of blood and flesh can overwhelm the senses and disturb even a ‘pure’ or disciplined mind, producing doubt and inner conflict—an implicit reminder that dharma is tested not only in ideals but amid disturbing realities.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker describes being overcome by the smell of gore—fat and blood—and confesses that, in the listener’s very presence, his mind has become divided, signaling a moment of hesitation or moral uncertainty within the unfolding events of the Virāṭa episode.