Shloka 25
Adhyāya 143: Nocturnal duels—Nākuli and Citraseṇa; Vṛṣasena’s assault; Duḥśāsana vs Prativindhya
रुधिरौघवतीं कृत्वा नदीं शोणितकर्दमाम् | तृणवद् व्यस्य कौरव्यानेष हवायाति सात्यकि:,“शोणित और मांसरूपी कीचड़से युक्त खूनकी नदी बहाकर और कौरव-सैनिकोंको तिनकोंके समान उड़ाकर यह सात्यकि इधर आ रहा है”
rudhiraughavatīṁ kṛtvā nadīṁ śoṇitakardamām | tṛṇavad vyasya kauravyān eṣa havāyāti sātyakiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “He has turned the battlefield into a river of blood, thick with the mire of gore; scattering the Kaurava warriors like blades of grass, Sātyaki now advances this way.” The line underscores the moral horror of war even as it reports martial prowess: victory is narrated through images of devastation, reminding the listener that triumph in battle is purchased by immense suffering.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes martial success with stark imagery of blood and mire, highlighting the ethical cost of war: even when fought under claims of dharma, battle produces overwhelming suffering and dehumanizing destruction.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki is cutting through Kaurava forces so fiercely that the field seems like a river of blood; he scatters the Kaurava warriors as easily as grass and is now approaching toward the observer’s side.