Mahabharata 7.32.256 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 32, Shloka 256
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
उपाशाम्यद् रजो भौमं भीरून् कश्मलमाविशत् । मनुष्य
upāśāmyad rajo bhaumaṁ bhīrūn kaśmalam āviśat | manuṣya-aśva-gaja-raktaṁ parasparaṁ samamiśrata | tasmin rakta-pravāheṇa tatra uḍḍīyamānā bhīṣaṇā dhūliḥ śāntābhavat | tāṁ rakta-rāśiṁ dṛṣṭvā bhīru-puruṣeṣu mohaḥ samajāyata ||
Sañjaya dit : La poussière née de la terre commença à retomber, et une stupeur accablante saisit les timorés. Le sang des hommes, des chevaux et des éléphants coulait en se mêlant ; et par ce flot de sang, la poussière effroyable qui tourbillonnait là fut apaisée. À la vue de cette masse de sang, les cœurs faibles furent submergés par l’illusion et le trouble—image de l’effondrement moral de la guerre, où la peur et la confusion éclipsent le discernement et le devoir.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extreme violence produces not only physical devastation but also moral-psychological collapse: the timid are seized by kaśmala (bewilderment), and moha (delusion) overwhelms discernment. It implicitly warns that fear and confusion can eclipse dharma when one confronts the horrific consequences of war.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield so saturated with blood from men, horses, and elephants that the very dust raised by combat is damped and settles. The sight of pooled and streaming blood terrifies the faint-hearted, who lose clarity and composure.
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