Shloka 43
आयोधनदर्शनम्
Viewing the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra
रक्तोत्पलवनानीव विभान्ति रुचिराणि च | मुखानि परमस्त्रीणां परिशुष्काणि केशव,“केशव! इन सुन्दरियोंके सूखे हुए सुन्दर मुख लाल कमलोंके समूहकी भाँति शोभा पा रहे हैं
raktotpalavanānīva vibhānti rucirāṇi ca | mukhāni paramastrīṇāṃ pariśuṣkāṇi keśava ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Keśava, wajah para wanita mulia itu—kini kering dan layu—masih tampak menawan, bagaikan rimbunan teratai merah.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of war: even the most dignified and beautiful lives are left withered by sorrow. It implicitly warns that victory cannot erase the ethical and emotional devastation inflicted on families and society.
In Strī Parva, the women of the Kuru household and others mourn the slain after the great war. Addressing Keśava (Kṛṣṇa), the speaker describes their faces as dried with grief and hardship, yet still visually striking—using the image of red lotus-groves to convey poignant beauty amid tragedy.