Shloka 87
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
वसनान्यथ वर्माणि वध्यमानान् हतानपि । भूमिं खं द्यां दिशश्वैव प्रायः पश्याम लोहिता:,मारे गये तथा मारे जाते हुए हाथी, घोड़े, रथ, मनुष्य, अस्त्र-शस्त्र, आभूषण, वस्त्र, कवच, पृथ्वी, आकाश, द्युलोक और सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ--ये सब हमें प्रायः लाल-ही-लाल दिखायी देते थे
vasanāny atha varmāṇi vadhyamānān hatān api | bhūmiṃ khaṃ dyāṃ diśaś caiva prāyaḥ paśyāma lohitāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Even garments and armours—whether being struck down or already slain—along with the earth, the sky, the heavenly region, and all the directions, appeared to us for the most part as nothing but red.” The verse conveys the moral horror of battle: violence so saturates perception that the whole world seems stained with blood, underscoring the dehumanizing, all-consuming nature of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and psychological devastation of war: when violence dominates, it stains not only bodies and objects but also the mind’s perception, making the entire world seem blood-red. It functions as a warning about how adharma and slaughter overwhelm discernment and compassion.
Sañjaya, narrating the Kurukṣetra battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes the scene as so drenched in blood and destruction that clothes, armour, and even the earth, sky, heaven, and all directions appear red to the onlookers.