Shloka 373
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention
म्लेच्छानां पापकर्तुणां हिमदुर्गनिवासिनाम् । “यहाँ एकत्र हुए हिमदुर्गनिवासी पापाचारी म्लेच्छोंकी यह सेना धूएँके समान काली प्रतीत होती है
mlecchānāṁ pāpakartṝṇāṁ himadurganivāsinām |
Sañjaya said: “This host of Mlecchas—sinful-doers who dwell in snow-bound mountain strongholds—has gathered here, and it appears dark, like a mass of smoke.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses moral labeling (“pāpakartṛ”) and imagery (“dark like smoke”) to mark certain forces as ominous and ethically suspect, showing how war narratives often frame opponents through moral and cultural categories to intensify the sense of threat.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra about a gathered contingent described as Mlecchas from snow-bound mountain fortresses; their massed presence is portrayed as dark and smoke-like, emphasizing the grim, foreboding mood on the battlefield.