Shloka 55
Bhūriśravas–Sātyaki Saṃvāda and Duel; Arjuna’s Intervention (भूरिश्रवाः–सात्यकि संवादः, युद्धम्, अर्जुन-हस्तक्षेपः)
रुधिरेणावसिक्ताज़ो जलसंधस्य कुड्जर:
rudhireṇāvasiktāśo jalasaṃdhasya kuñjaraḥ
Sañjaya said: Jalasandha’s elephant, its body soaked in blood, looked as though it had been wholly smeared and darkened with gore—an image that lays bare the battle’s brutal momentum, where even mighty beasts become both instruments and victims of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a stark ethical reminder: war’s glory is inseparable from bloodshed and suffering. By highlighting a blood-soaked elephant, the narrative forces the listener to confront the cost of violence and the way battle reduces living beings—human and animal alike—into wounded instruments of conflict.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield scene in which an elephant associated with Jalasaṃdha is seen drenched in blood. The image intensifies the atmosphere of the Drona Parva’s fighting, emphasizing the ferocity of the encounter and the heavy casualties.