Shloka 32
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
मर्मास्थिभिरगाधां च केशशैवलशाद्धलाम् । शिरोबाहूपलतटां रुग्णक्रोडास्थिसंकटाम्
marmāsthibhir agādhāṃ ca keśaśaivalśāḍḍhalām | śirobāhūpalataṭāṃ rugṇakroḍāsthi-saṅkaṭām ||
Sañjaya berkata: Sungai itu seakan tak terduga dalamnya karena timbunan organ-organ vital dan tulang-belulang; permukaannya tersumbat rambut laksana lumut dan buih yang menggumpal. Tepiannya dipenuhi bongkah-bongkah kepala dan lengan yang terpenggal, dan dasarnya sesak serta bergerigi oleh tulang rusuk dan tulang yang remuk.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and existential cost of war: even when fought under claims of dharma, battle produces overwhelming suffering and dehumanizing devastation, prompting reflection on restraint, responsibility, and the tragic consequences of hatred.
Sañjaya, narrating the Kurukṣetra war to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, depicts the battlefield as a horrific, river-like landscape—unfordable with organs and bones, clogged with hair, and bordered by severed heads and arms—intensifying the sense of chaos and carnage.