Shloka 256
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
उपाशाम्यद् रजो भौमं भीरून् कश्मलमाविशत् । मनुष्य, घोड़े और हाथीके रक्त एक-दूसरेसे मिल रहे थे। उस रक्तप्रवाहसे वहाँकी उड़ती हुई भयंकर धूल शान्त हो गयी। उस रक्तराशिको देखकर भीरु पुरुषोंपर मोह छा जाता था
upāśāmyad rajo bhaumaṁ bhīrūn kaśmalam āviśat | manuṣya-aśva-gaja-raktaṁ parasparaṁ samamiśrata | tasmin rakta-pravāheṇa tatra uḍḍīyamānā bhīṣaṇā dhūliḥ śāntābhavat | tāṁ rakta-rāśiṁ dṛṣṭvā bhīru-puruṣeṣu mohaḥ samajāyata ||
サञ्जयは語った。大地の塵は次第に鎮まり、臆する者たちには身をすくませる迷妄が入り込んだ。人と馬と象の血は互いに流れ合い、混じり合った。その血の奔流によって、そこに渦巻いていた恐るべき塵もまた静まった。あの血の塊を見て、心弱き者は迷いに呑まれた—戦がもたらす道義の崩壊の相であり、恐怖と混乱が分別と義務を覆い隠すのである。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extreme violence produces not only physical devastation but also moral-psychological collapse: the timid are seized by kaśmala (bewilderment), and moha (delusion) overwhelms discernment. It implicitly warns that fear and confusion can eclipse dharma when one confronts the horrific consequences of war.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield so saturated with blood from men, horses, and elephants that the very dust raised by combat is damped and settles. The sight of pooled and streaming blood terrifies the faint-hearted, who lose clarity and composure.