Shloka 6.90.36
इन्द्रजित्-लक्ष्मणयुद्धम् तथा वानरप्रोत्साहनम् (Indrajit–Lakshmana Battle and the Rallying of the Vanaras)
तमसापिहितंसर्वमासीत्प्रतिभयंमहत् ।अस्तंगतेसहस्रांशेसम्वृतेतमसा च वै ।।।।रुधिरौघामहानद्यःप्रावर्तन्तसहस्रशः ।
tamasāpihitaṃ sarvam āsīt pratibhayaṃ mahat |
astaṃ gate sahasrāṃśe saṃvṛte tamasā ca vai ||
rudhiraughā mahānadyāḥ prāvartanta sahasraśaḥ |
When the thousand-rayed sun had set and darkness spread, everything appeared veiled and terrifying; and in thousands, great rivers of blood began to flow.
As the sun sank down, darkness enveloped, everything was dark and dreadful in appearance. Streams of blood of thousands flowed.
The verse highlights the moral cost of adharma-driven war: violence creates a world ‘covered in darkness.’ Dharma calls for protection of life and restoration of order, not the normalization of bloodshed.
As evening falls, the battlefield becomes dark and horrific, with blood flowing in great streams.
Not a personal virtue but a moral warning: the need for righteous ends and controlled means in conflict.