Shloka 88
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
शोणितस्य प्रसेकेन शीघ्रत्वादनिलस्यथ च । अशाम्यत् तद् रजो भौममसृक्सिक्ते धरातले
śoṇitasya prasekena śīghratvād anilasya tha ca | aśāmyat tad rajo bhaumam asṛk-sikte dharātale ||
Sañjaya said: By the splashing of blood, and also because of the swift-moving wind, the earthly dust did not settle; on the ground soaked with gore, the dust kept rising and would not be calmed. The scene underscores how violence multiplies its own turmoil—when the earth is drenched in blood, even the very elements seem to participate in the unrest of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the self-propagating chaos of violence: bloodshed does not merely harm individuals; it disturbs the whole moral and natural order, symbolized by dust that refuses to settle on a blood-soaked earth.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield conditions: blood is splattering everywhere, and strong winds whip up the dust. Because the ground is drenched with blood, the dust keeps rising and does not subside, intensifying the horror and confusion of combat.