Shloka 28

Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Anxiety and Bhīṣma’s Theological Explanation of Pāṇḍava Invincibility

Book 6, Chapter 61

Devanagari script

प्रशशाम रजो भौम॑ व्युक्षितं रणशोणितै: । दिशश्व विमला: सर्वा: सम्बभूवुर्जनेश्वर

Transliteration

praśaśāma rajo bhaumaṁ vyukṣitaṁ raṇaśoṇitaiḥ | diśaś ca vimalāḥ sarvāḥ sambabhūvur janeśvara ||

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ജനേശ്വരാ! യുദ്ധരക്തത്തിൽ നനഞ്ഞതിനാൽ ഭൂമിയിലെ പൊടി അടങ്ങി; എല്ലാ ദിക്കുകളും നിർമ്മലവും തെളിഞ്ഞതുമായി മാറി।

Word by Word

प्रशशामsubsided, became calm

रजःdust

भौमम्earthy, of the ground

व्युषितम्settled/laid (down), having stayed (i.e., no longer rising)

रणशोणितैःwith the blood of battle

दिशःdirections, quarters

चand

विमलाःclear, spotless

सर्वाःall

सम्बभूवुःbecame, came to be

जनईश्वरO lord of men (king)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

janeśvara (the king addressed, i.e., Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

earth (bhūmi)

directions (diś)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the stark aftermath of war: when the frenzy ends, a deceptive calm returns, but it is purchased at the cost of bloodshed. It invites ethical reflection on violence—its immediate intensity passes, yet its moral and human consequences remain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment when the dust cloud settles because it has been soaked by blood, and visibility returns in all directions. It marks a pause or lull after heavy fighting, emphasizing the grim clarity that follows carnage.