Shloka 44
भूरिश्रवसः गर्हा, प्रायोपवेशः, सात्यकिकृतशिरच्छेदः
Bhūriśravas’s Censure, Prāyopaveśa, and Sātyaki’s Beheading
खड्गशक्तिधनु:कीर्णा गजाश्वरथसंकुलाम् । प्रवर्तितोग्ररुधिरां शतश: क्षत्रियर्षभै:,जैसे वृत्रनाशक इन्द्र असुरोंकी सेनाको लाँधकर जा रहे हों, उसी प्रकार शिनिप्रवर सात्यकि सम्पूर्ण सैनिकोंके देखते-देखते उनके बीचसे होकर उस सेनाका परित्याग करके चल दिये। उस कौरव-सेनामें सैकड़ों क्षत्रिय-शिरोमणियोंने भयानक रक्तकी धारा बहा दी थी। वहाँ हाथी, घोड़े तथा रथ खचाखच भरे हुए थे और खड्ग, शक्ति एवं धनुष सब ओर व्याप्त थे
sañjaya uvāca |
khaḍga-śakti-dhanuḥ-kīrṇā gajāśva-ratha-saṅkulām |
pravartitogra-rudhirāṁ śataśaḥ kṣatriyarṣabhaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The Kaurava host was choked with elephants, horses, and chariots, and everywhere it was strewn with swords, spears, and bows. Driven on by hundreds of bull-like kṣatriyas, it poured forth a dreadful flood of blood.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war, propelled by collective martial pride and kṣatriya valor, quickly becomes a force that ‘unleashes’ suffering—symbolized by the torrent of blood. It implicitly challenges the listener to weigh heroism against the ethical cost, a recurring Mahābhārata concern about dharma under extreme conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: the army is densely packed with elephants, horses, and chariots, and the ground is littered with weapons. Hundreds of eminent warriors drive the fighting forward, producing a terrifying flow of blood—an intensification of the battle’s chaos and carnage.