Shloka 19
Kuru-Sainika-Āśvāsana and Vijayaghoṣaṇa
Reassuring the Kuru Soldiers; Proclaiming Victory
मेदोवसासूृक्प्रवहां महा भयविवर्धिनीम् । रौद्ररूपां महाभीमां श्वापदैरभिनादिताम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | medovasāsṛkpravahāṁ mahābhayavivardhinīm | raudrarūpāṁ mahābhīmāṁ śvāpadair abhināditām ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Ali corria um rio de gordura, medula e sangue—um rio que aumentava enormemente o medo. Terrível de aspecto e pavoroso em demasia, suas margens ressoavam com os gritos de feras predadoras. A cena ressalta o horror moral da violência: quando a guerra e o massacre prevalecem, a própria paisagem é imaginada como um testemunho macabro de adharma e sofrimento.
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.