Shloka 86
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
रथानश्वान् नरान् नागानायुधाभरणानि च
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
ਸੰਜਯ ਬੋਲਿਆ—ਮਾਰੇ ਗਏ ਅਤੇ ਮਾਰੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਾਥੀ, ਘੋੜੇ, ਰਥ, ਮਨੁੱਖ; ਹਥਿਆਰ ਅਤੇ ਗਹਿਣੇ; ਬਸਤ੍ਰ ਅਤੇ ਕਵਚ—ਇਹ ਸਭ ਹੀ ਨਹੀਂ, ਧਰਤੀ, ਆਕਾਸ਼, ਦਿਉਲੋਕ ਅਤੇ ਸਭ ਦਿਸ਼ਾਵਾਂ ਵੀ ਸਾਨੂੰ ਲਗਭਗ ਲਾਲ ਹੀ ਲਾਲ ਦਿਸਦੀਆਂ ਸਨ।
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.