Shloka 10
Śalya–Bhīma Gadāyuddham (मद्रराज-भीमसेन गदायुद्धम्)
शोणितोदां रथावर्ता हस्त्यश्वकृतरो धसम् । कवचोडुपसंयुक्तां मांसपड़कसमाकुलाम्,उस नदीमें जलकी जगह रक्तराशि भरी हुई थी, रथोंकी भँवरें उठ रही थीं, हाथी और घोड़ोंकी ऊँची-ऊँची लाशें उस नदीके ऊँचे किनारोंके समान प्रतीत होती थीं। उसमें कवच नावकी भाँति तैर रहे थे तथा वह मांसरूपी कीचड़से भरी हुई थी
śoṇitodāṁ rathāvartā hastyaśvakṛtarodhasam | kavacōḍupasaṁyuktāṁ māṁsapaṅkasamākulām ||
Sañjaya said: “That river ran not with water but with torrents of blood. Whirlpools formed where chariots churned it; the piled bodies of elephants and horses rose like its high banks. Armor drifted upon it like boats, and it was thick with the mire of flesh.” The image underscores the moral horror of war: valor and strategy culminate in a landscape where life is reduced to debris, confronting the listener with the ethical cost of violence even amid a dharma-war.
संजय उवाच