Shloka 56
तद् गजाश्वरथौघानां रुधिरेण समुक्षितम् । छन्नमायोधन रेजे रक्ता भ्रमिव शारदम्
tad gajāśvarathaughānāṁ rudhireṇa samukṣitam | channam āyodhanaṁ reje raktā bhramir iva śāradam ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors ce champ de bataille—recouvert et détrempé du sang des masses d’éléphants, de chevaux et de guerriers de char—se mit à resplendir, pareil aux nuées cramoisies qui s’embrasent au crépuscule d’automne. L’image souligne la splendeur terrible de la guerre : on y perçoit une beauté, mais elle naît d’un vaste carnage, rappelant à l’auditeur le prix moral qui accompagne la gloire des armes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of war’s ‘splendor’: the battlefield may appear visually magnificent, yet that beauty is inseparable from bloodshed. It invites ethical reflection on how martial glory can mask suffering, and how a witness must see both the appearance and the cost.
Sañjaya narrates the scene of Kurukṣetra after intense fighting: the ground is covered and soaked with blood from fallen elephants, horses, and chariot-warriors, and the whole field looks red—likened to autumn evening clouds.