Shloka 19
Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa
Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory
मेदोवसासूृक्प्रवहां महा भयविवर्धिनीम् । रौद्ररूपां महाभीमां श्वापदैरभिनादिताम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | medovasāsṛkpravahāṁ mahābhayavivardhinīm | raudrarūpāṁ mahābhīmāṁ śvāpadair abhināditām ||
वैशम्पायन बोले—वह नदी मेदा, चर्बी और रुधिर को बहाती हुई महान् भय को बढ़ानेवाली थी। उसका रूप अत्यन्त रौद्र और अति भीषण था; उसके तटों पर मांसभोजी हिंसक पशु-पक्षी कोलाहल कर रहे थे।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse evokes the ethical revulsion of mass violence by portraying nature itself as turned into a horrific river of bodily substances, suggesting that unchecked aggression and slaughter lead to fear, degradation, and a world that bears the marks of adharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes a terrifying scene: a river seemingly flowing with fat, marrow, and blood, while wild predators cry out along its banks—an image used to convey the dread and brutality surrounding the events being narrated.