Shloka 32
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
शोणितोदं शरावर्त गजद्दीपं हयोर्मिणम् | रथनौभिरन्नरव्याप्रा: प्रतेर: सैन्यसागरम्,वह सेना एक समुद्रके समान थी। रक्त ही वहाँ जलके समान था। बाणोंकी भँवर उठती थी। हाथी द्वीपके समान जान पड़ते थे और घोड़े तरंगकी शोभा धारण करते थे। रथरूपी नौकाओंके द्वारा नरश्रेष्ठ वीर उस सैन्य-सागरको पार करते थे
sañjaya uvāca |
śoṇitodaṁ śarāvartaṁ gajadvīpaṁ hayormimam |
rathanāubhir naraśreṣṭhāḥ prateruḥ sainyasāgaram ||
Sañjaya disse: Aquele exército era como um vasto oceano — sua água era sangue, seus redemoinhos eram as flechas em giro; os elefantes erguiam-se como ilhas, e os cavalos surgiam como ondas. Nesse mar de batalha, os mais eminentes entre os homens atravessavam em carros como se fossem barcos — imagem da força avassaladora da guerra e da resolução implacável dos guerreiros num campo encharcado de violência.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it portrays war as an all-consuming ‘ocean’ that must be crossed, highlighting both the grandeur and the horror of battle. Ethically, it underscores the immense cost of conflict—blood as ‘water’—even while acknowledging the warriors’ steadfast courage and kṣatriya resolve.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the intensity of the Kurukṣetra fighting. He likens the army to a sea of blood with arrow-whirlpools; elephants appear as islands, horses as waves, and warriors move through it using chariots like boats, conveying the scale and turbulence of the battle.