Shloka 503
Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)
यथा वैतरणी राजन् यमराजपुरं प्रति । राजन! दोनों सेनाओंके बीचमें बहनेवाली वह नदी मनुष्यों, घोड़ों और हाथियोंको भी बहाये लिये जाती थी, मानो वैतरणी नदी यमराजपुरीकी ओर जा रही हो
sañjaya uvāca |
yathā vaitaraṇī rājan yamarājapuraṃ prati |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, sebagaimana sungai Vaitaraṇī mengalir menuju kota Yama, demikian pula sungai yang mengalir di antara dua bala itu menyeret pergi manusia, kuda, dan gajah—seakan-akan medan perang berubah menjadi jalan menuju maut itu sendiri.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the Vaitaraṇī–Yama imagery to underscore the moral and existential cost of war: violence turns the battlefield into a threshold of death, reminding listeners that actions (karma) lead inexorably to their consequences.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra a horrific scene in which a river or torrent between the opposing armies is sweeping away combatants and animals; he likens it to the mythic Vaitaraṇī flowing toward Yama’s abode, intensifying the sense of mass death.