Shloka 87
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 ||
संजय बोले—वस्त्र और कवच—चाहे वे मारे जाते हुए हों या मारे जा चुके हों—और पृथ्वी, आकाश, द्युलोक तथा समस्त दिशाएँ भी हमें प्रायः रक्तवर्ण ही दिखाई देती थीं।
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.