Mahabharata 4.55.9 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 55, Shloka 9
Adhyāya 55: Pārtha–Rādheya Saṃvāda and Tactical Exchange
Chapter 55
अशोकानां वनानीवच्छन्नानि बहुशः शुभे: । रेजु: पार्थशरैस्तत्र तदा सैन्यानि भारत
aśokānāṁ vanānīvacchannāni bahuśaḥ śubhaiḥ | rejuḥ pārthaśarais tatra tadā sainyāni bhārata bhārata |
Vaiśampāyana disse: Ó Bhārata, naquele momento as tropas kaurava ali —traspassadas pelas flechas de Pārtha e manchadas de sangue— pareciam resplandecentes, como bosques de aśoka densamente cobertos de muitas flores brilhantes. A comparação ressalta a sombria ironia da guerra: o que parece beleza é, na verdade, a marca visível da ferida e da destruição.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and aesthetic paradox of warfare: the battlefield can appear ‘beautiful’ through poetic comparison, yet that beauty is born from suffering. It invites reflection on kṣatriya duty and the cost of violence even when performed within dharma.
During the Virāṭa episode’s battle, Arjuna (Pārtha) strikes the opposing Kaurava forces with volleys of arrows. The wounded, bloodied troops are described as looking like aśoka forests covered in many red blossoms.
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