Shloka 296
व्यभ्राजेतां यथा वारि स्रवन्ती गैरिकाचलौ । उन दोनोंके सारे अंग घावोंसे भर गये थे और दोनों ही खूनसे लथपथ हो गये थे। उस समय वे जलका स्रोत बहाते हुए गेरूके दो पर्वतोंके समान शोभा पा रहे भे
vyabhrājetāṃ yathā vāri sravantī gairikācalau |
Sañjaya said: The two of them shone like two ochre-red mountains from which streams of water flow. Their bodies were covered with wounds, and both were drenched in blood—yet, in the midst of battle’s horror, their steadfastness made them appear striking and formidable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the paradox of the battlefield: grievous injury and bloodshed coexist with a kind of martial splendor born of resolve. It implicitly points to the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness under suffering, while also reminding the listener of the body’s vulnerability and the grim cost of war.
Sañjaya describes two combatants (contextually identified elsewhere in the surrounding passage) whose bodies are covered in wounds and soaked in blood. He uses a vivid simile—two ochre mountains with streaming water—to convey both their blood-flowing injuries and their imposing appearance amid the battle.