Shloka 2036
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
संख्यासमयविस्तीर्णमभिजातोद्धवं बहु । उज्ज्वल और तेज धारवाले
saṅkhyāsamaya-vistīrṇam abhijātodbhavaṃ bahu | ujjvalaṃ ca tejo-dhārāvantaṃ samantato loha-mayaṃ tathā tīkṣṇaṃ prāsa-śakti-ṛṣṭi-paraśv-ādi astrāṇi śastrāṇi ca yair āghātaḥ kriyate, tad eva tasya yuddha-yajñasya bahu-saṅkhyakaṃ dīrgha-kāla-sādhyaṃ kulīna-puruṣa-saṅgṛhītaṃ nānā-vidhaṃ dravyam ||
Ambarīṣa disse: “Nesse sacrifício de guerra, os muitos e variados ‘materiais’ são aquelas armas e projéteis—brilhantes e flamejantes, de gume agudo, inteiramente forjados em ferro—como lanças, piques, dardos, machados e semelhantes, com os quais se desferem os golpes. Sua abundância, sua longa preparação e o fato de terem sido reunidos por homens de nobre linhagem constituem o vasto aparato desse rito sombrio.”
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage frames warfare as a ‘sacrifice’ whose requisites are weapons and martial resources, highlighting how violence can be ritually and socially justified; ethically, it invites reflection on the cost, preparation, and moral burden of treating war like a sacred rite.
Ambarīṣa describes the components of a metaphorical war-sacrifice: numerous iron weapons—spears, lances, javelins, axes, and other arms—used to strike opponents, emphasizing their abundance, sharpness, and the long effort by which noble warriors accumulate them.