Shloka 363
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
अश्वस्कन्धैर्गजस्कन्धैस्तस्य लोका यथा मम । जिसके युद्ध-यज्ञकी वेदी शत्रुओंके मस्तकों, घोड़ोंकी गर्दनों और हाथियोंके कंधोंसे बिछ जाती है, उस वीरको मेरे-जैसे ही लोक प्राप्त होते हैं
aśvaskandhair gajaskandhais tasya lokā yathā mama |
Ambarīṣa dit : «Le guerrier dont le sacrifice de bataille a pour autel un champ jonché de têtes d’ennemis, de cous de chevaux et d’épaules d’éléphants, atteint des mondes semblables aux miens.»
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses sacrificial (yajña) metaphor to interpret warfare as a duty-bound act that can yield spiritual ‘worlds’ (lokas), highlighting the Mahābhārata’s complex view that even harsh royal action may be evaluated through dharma and intention—while still leaving moral unease about violence.
Ambarīṣa is speaking about the posthumous reward of a heroic warrior, describing the battlefield as a ritual altar covered with the bodies (metonymically, shoulders/necks) of war-animals, and declaring that such a warrior attains realms comparable to Ambarīṣa’s own.