Shloka 853
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
सस्नुस्तस्यां पपुश्नास्यां मम्लुश्न भरतर्षभ । उन सबके शरीर रक्तसे रँग गये थे। कवच
sa-snusta-stasyāṃ papuśnās-yāṃ mamluśna bharatarṣabha |
サञ्जयは語った。「バーラタ族の雄牛よ、彼らはその流れで身を洗い、さらにはそれを飲みさえした。彼らの身体は血に染まり、鎧も武器も衣もまた深紅となった。多くの戦士がそこで洗い清め、多くは知らぬ間に血をひと口飲み込み、多くは疲労と眩暈に打ち伏せられた。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, battle produces pervasive suffering and moral shock—so intense that basic acts like bathing and drinking become entangled with blood and exhaustion, reminding the listener of the tragic consequences of adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield waters were so mixed with blood that warriors bathed in them and inadvertently drank blood; their bodies, armor, weapons, and clothes were stained red, and many fighters became weak and faint from fatigue.