Shloka 39
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
तृषा परिगता: केचिदल्पसत्त्वा विशाम्पते । भूमौ निपतिता: संख्ये मृगयांचक्रिरे जलम्,राजन! कुछ लोग धरतीपर अधमरे पड़े थे। उनमें जीवनकी शक्ति बहुत थोड़ी रह गयी थी और वे पिपासासे पीड़ित हो युद्धभूमिमें ही जलकी खोज कर रहे थे
tṛṣā parigatāḥ kecid alpasattvā viśāmpate | bhūmau nipatitāḥ saṅkhye mṛgayāṃ cakrire jalam, rājan |
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, some men—of very little remaining strength—were overcome by thirst. Fallen upon the ground amid the battle, they searched there for water, O king.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark human cost of war: beyond heroism and strategy, battle reduces people to basic vulnerability—thirst, exhaustion, and the struggle to survive—inviting ethical reflection on the suffering produced by violence.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that some fighters, nearly lifeless and tormented by thirst, have fallen on the battlefield and are desperately searching for water even amid the ongoing conflict.