Shloka 26
नराश्वमातड्रशरीरजेन रक्तेन सिक्तां च तथैव भूमिम् । रक्ताम्बरस्रक् तपनीययोगा- न्नारीं प्रकाशामिव सर्वगम्याम्,मनुष्यों, घोड़ों और हाथियोंके शरीरसे बहते हुए रक्तकी धारासे वहाँकी भूमि ऐसी सिंच गयी थी कि लाल वस्त्र, लाल फूलोंकी माला तथा तपाये हुए सुवर्णके आभूषण धारण करके सबके सामने आयी हुई सर्वगम्या नारी (वेश्या)-के समान प्रतीत होती थी
narāśvamātaḍraśarīrajena raktena siktāṃ ca tathaiva bhūmim | raktāmbarasrak tapanīyayogān nārīṃ prakāśām iva sarvagamyām ||
Śalya said: “The earth there was drenched with the blood flowing from the bodies of men, horses, and elephants. So soaked, it appeared like a public courtesan standing openly before all—clad in red garments, adorned with a red garland, and wearing ornaments of heated gold.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a shocking simile to underscore the moral horror of war: when violence becomes pervasive, even the earth seems ‘adorned’ by blood like a courtesan dressed for public display—an aestheticized image that actually condemns the normalization of slaughter and warns against losing ethical sensitivity (dharma-buddhi) amid battle.
Śalya describes the battlefield after intense fighting: streams of blood from fallen men, horses, and elephants have soaked the ground. He likens the blood-red earth, with its ‘red cloth’ and ‘gold ornaments’ imagery, to a courtesan visible to all—highlighting the scene’s grim, public, and inescapable carnage.