Shloka 86
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
रथानश्वान् नरान् नागानायुधाभरणानि च,मारे गये तथा मारे जाते हुए हाथी, घोड़े, रथ, मनुष्य, अस्त्र-शस्त्र, आभूषण, वस्त्र, कवच, पृथ्वी, आकाश, द्युलोक और सम्पूर्ण दिशाएँ--ये सब हमें प्रायः लाल-ही-लाल दिखायी देते थे
rathān aśvān narān nāgān āyudhābharaṇāni ca, māre gate tathā māre jāte hastī ghoḍe ratha manuṣya astra-śastra ābhūṣaṇa vastra kavaca pṛthvī ākāśa dyuloka sampūrṇa diśāḥ—ete sarve asmākaṃ prāyaḥ lāla-hī-lāla dṛśyante sma
Sañjaya said: As the slaughter spread and men fell in heaps, chariots, horses, warriors, elephants, weapons and ornaments—along with garments and armor—seemed drenched in blood. Even the earth, the sky, the heavenly regions, and all the directions appeared to us almost entirely crimson. The scene conveys not triumph but the moral horror and totalizing devastation of war, where violence stains not only bodies and arms but the very world as it is perceived.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: when killing becomes pervasive, it overwhelms perception itself, making the whole world appear stained. It functions as a moral witness-statement—highlighting that violence dehumanizes and eclipses any sense of righteous purpose unless restrained by dharma.
Sañjaya reports to the listener (Dhṛtarāṣṭra in the broader frame) the intensity of the battle: chariots, horses, elephants, soldiers, and their equipment are being destroyed, and the battlefield is so soaked in blood that earth, sky, and all directions seem red.