Shloka 21
Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa
Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory
शरसंघमहावर्ता नागनक्रां दुरत्ययाम् । महारथमहाद्वीपां शड्खदुन्दुभिनि:स्वनाम् | चकार च तदा पार्थों नदीं दुस्तरशोणिताम्
śarasaṅgha-mahāvartā nāga-nakrāṁ duratyayām | mahāratha-mahādvīpāṁ śaṅkha-dundubhi-niḥsvanām || cakāra ca tadā pārtho nadīṁ dustara-śoṇitām |
वैशम्पायन बोले—तब पार्थ ने वहाँ रक्त की एक दुस्तर नदी रच दी। बाणों के समूह उसके महान् भँवर थे; हाथी और ग्राह-से युद्ध-जन्तु उसे दुर्गम बनाते थे। बड़े-बड़े रथ उसके भीतर विशाल द्वीपों-से खड़े थे, और शंखों तथा दुन्दुभियों का निनाद ही उसकी कलकल-ध्वनि बन गया।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a powerful metaphor to show the moral weight and terrifying consequences of warfare: when a warrior fulfills kṣatriya-duty, the battlefield can become like a natural catastrophe—suggesting both the inevitability of conflict in certain dharmic contexts and the grave human cost that accompanies it.
Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna’s overwhelming martial prowess: his arrows, chariots, and the din of conches and drums are poetically recast as features of a fearsome ‘river of blood’—with whirlpools, crocodiles, and islands—emphasizing how difficult it is for enemies to withstand or cross his onslaught.