Mahabharata — Karna Parva, Shloka 39
गिरय: सागराश्रैव नद्यक्ष सजलास्तथा
girayaḥ sāgarāś caiva nadyaś ca sajalās tathā
Sañjaya berkata: “Bahkan gunung-ganang, lautan, dan sungai-sungai—yang masih sarat berair—(turut terkesan dan tergoncang).” Baris ini membayangkan gangguan berskala kosmik, seolah-olah keganasan dan dahsyatnya perang menggoncang bukan sahaja para pahlawan, malah kestabilan alam sendiri, menegaskan beban moral dan jangkauan bencana peperangan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses vast natural features to convey that the effects of destructive conflict are not limited to human combatants; adharma-driven violence destabilizes the whole order of the world, making war a moral and cosmic crisis rather than a mere contest of arms.
Sañjaya, narrating the Kurukṣetra events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describes the battle’s intensity through hyperbolic nature imagery—mountains, oceans, and water-filled rivers are portrayed as being shaken or overwhelmed—signaling an extraordinary, world-shaking moment in the war.