Shloka 40
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
रुधिरौघपरिक्लिन्ना: क्लिश्यमानाश्न भारत । व्यनिन्दन् भृशमात्मानं तव पुत्रांश्व संगतान्,भरतनन्दन! लहूलुहान होकर कष्ट पाते हुए वे समस्त घायल सैनिक अपनी और आपके पुत्रोंकी अत्यन्त निन््दा करते थे
rudhiraughapariklinnāḥ kliśyamānāś ca bhārata | vyanindan bhṛśam ātmānaṁ tava putrāṁś ca saṅgatān, bharatanandana ||
Sañjaya said: “O Bharata, drenched in torrents of blood and suffering grievously, all those wounded soldiers bitterly condemned themselves—and also your sons who had brought about this encounter, O joy of the Bharatas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability in war: when violence yields unbearable suffering, even participants recognize the ethical weight of their choices, blaming themselves and the leaders who drove them into conflict.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the wounded on the battlefield—soaked in blood and in great pain—are lamenting and harshly criticizing both themselves and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons for having brought about the battle.