Shloka 19
Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa
Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory
मेदोवसासूृक्प्रवहां महा भयविवर्धिनीम् । रौद्ररूपां महाभीमां श्वापदैरभिनादिताम्,मेदा, चर्बी तथा रुधिरको बहानेवाली वह नदी महान् भयको बढ़ानेवाली थी। उसकी स्थिति बड़ी भीषण थी। उस रौद्ररूपा नदीके तटपर (रक्तभोजी) हिंसक जन्तु कोलाहल कर रहे थे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | medovasāsṛkpravahāṁ mahābhayavivardhinīm | raudrarūpāṁ mahābhīmāṁ śvāpadair abhināditām ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Di sana mengalir sebuah sungai yang membawa lemak, sumsum, dan darah—sungai yang sangat menambah rasa gentar. Nampaknya mengerikan dan amat dahsyat; di tebing-tebingnya bergema jeritan binatang pemangsa. Adegan ini menegaskan ngeri moral kekerasan: apabila perang dan pembantaian berkuasa, lanskap itu sendiri dibayangkan berubah menjadi kesaksian mengerikan tentang adharma dan penderitaan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse evokes the ethical revulsion of mass violence by portraying nature itself as turned into a horrific river of bodily substances, suggesting that unchecked aggression and slaughter lead to fear, degradation, and a world that bears the marks of adharma.
Vaiśampāyana describes a terrifying scene: a river seemingly flowing with fat, marrow, and blood, while wild predators cry out along its banks—an image used to convey the dread and brutality surrounding the events being narrated.