Shloka 8
सुदुर्गमा सुविषमा घोरात्यर्थ सुदुर्दशा । रणभूमिरभूद् राजन् महावैतरणी यथा
sudurgamā suviṣamā ghorātyartha sudurdaśā | raṇabhūmir abhūd rājan mahāvaitaraṇī yathā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, medan perang itu menjadi sama sekali sukar ditempuh dan penuh tipu daya bahaya—mengerikan melampaui ukuran, suatu pemandangan malapetaka yang paling dahsyat—bagaikan sungai agung Vaitaraṇī itu sendiri. Perbandingan ini menegaskan bahawa apabila perang dilepaskan, ia berubah menjadi laluan seakan neraka, tempat penderitaan menenggelamkan segala batas biasa manusia.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and existential cost of war: when violence dominates, the world becomes like a hell-crossing—dangerous, chaotic, and saturated with suffering—implying a warning about adharma and the consequences of unchecked conflict.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has turned extraordinarily perilous and dreadful, using the image of the great Vaitaraṇī to convey the scale of terror and devastation unfolding in the fighting.