Shloka 40
शोणितोदां रथावर्ता हस्तिग्राहसमाकुलाम् । नरमीनाश्वनक्रान्तां केशशैवलशाद्धलाम्
śoṇitodāṁ rathāvartā hastigrāhasamākulām | naramīnāśvanakrāntāṁ keśaśaivalśād-dhalām ||
Sañjaya said: “A river of blood flowed there. Its whirlpools seemed like chariot-wheels; it was crowded with elephant-like crocodiles. Men appeared as fish, horses as water-monsters; and hair looked like algae and river-grass. Severed arms gave the illusion of great serpents, and it carried along many ‘gems’—weapons and ornaments—swept away by the current. Thighs lying within it seemed like crocodiles; marrow served as mire; heads lay scattered like broken stones. Bows looked like reeds along the banks; arrows were its shoots; maces and iron clubs seemed like serpents. Parasols and banners appeared like swans upon it; turbans rose like foam; garlands resembled lotus-groves; and the dust of the earth shone as lines of waves. Warriors themselves looked like aquatic creatures. That blood-river on the battlefield ran toward the realm of Yama; like the Vaitaraṇī, it was easy to cross for the steadfast and righteous, but hard to cross for the cowardly. In a moment, Bhīmasena, the lion among men, had made this dreadful Vaitaraṇī-like river of blood—impassable for the undisciplined in spirit, terrifying, and increasing the fear of the timid.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the Vaitaraṇī metaphor to frame war’s moral testing: steadfastness and inner discipline (self-mastery) make even terrifying passages ‘crossable,’ while cowardice and lack of self-control render the same ordeal overwhelming. It implicitly praises courage aligned with dharma and warns that inner weakness magnifies fear.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a horrific battlefield scene: Bhīma’s slaughter has produced a ‘river of blood’ filled with bodies, weapons, and war-gear, described through extended aquatic similes. The river is said to flow toward Yama’s realm, likened to the Vaitaraṇī that souls must cross.