Shloka 30
कृष्णेन अर्जुनस्य प्रोत्साहनम् — Kṛṣṇa’s Exhortation to Arjuna
Prelude to Karṇa’s Slaying
तथा तदभवद् युद्ध घोररूपं भयानकम् । लोहितोदा महानद्य: प्रसख्नुस्तत्र चासकृत्,वह युद्ध ऐसा घोर एवं भयानक हो रहा था कि वहाँ बारंबार खूनकी बड़ी-बड़ी नदियाँ बह चलती थीं
tathā tad abhavad yuddhaṃ ghorarūpaṃ bhayānakam | lohitodā mahānadyāḥ prasakhnuḥ tatra cāsakṛt |
Sañjaya said: Thus the battle became dreadful in form and terrifying—so much so that, again and again, great rivers with blood for their waters seemed to flow there.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical cost of war: when conflict becomes unrestrained, it turns into a terrifying spectacle where life is squandered on a massive scale—symbolized by 'rivers of blood.' It implicitly warns that adharma-driven violence produces collective ruin rather than true victory.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that the fighting has intensified into a horrific, fearsome battle. The slaughter is so great that it is poetically described as causing great rivers of blood to flow repeatedly across the battlefield.