Shloka 9
अशोकानां वनानीवच्छन्नानि बहुशः शुभे: । रेजु: पार्थशरैस्तत्र तदा सैन्यानि भारत,भारत! उस समय कुन्तीपुत्र अर्जुनके बाणोंसे घायल हो लहूलुहान हुए कौरवसैनिक बहुतेरे लाल फूलोंसे आच्छादित अशोकवनके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
aśokānāṁ vanānīvacchannāni bahuśaḥ śubhaiḥ | rejuḥ pārthaśarais tatra tadā sainyāni bhārata bhārata |
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Oh Bhārata, en aquel momento las tropas kaurava allí —atravesadas por las flechas de Pārtha y manchadas de sangre— parecían resplandecientes, como arboledas de aśoka densamente cubiertas de muchas flores brillantes. El símil subraya la sombría ironía de la guerra: lo que parece belleza es, en verdad, la marca visible de la herida y la destrucción.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and aesthetic paradox of warfare: the battlefield can appear ‘beautiful’ through poetic comparison, yet that beauty is born from suffering. It invites reflection on kṣatriya duty and the cost of violence even when performed within dharma.
During the Virāṭa episode’s battle, Arjuna (Pārtha) strikes the opposing Kaurava forces with volleys of arrows. The wounded, bloodied troops are described as looking like aśoka forests covered in many red blossoms.