Shloka 88
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
लोहितस्य तु गन्धेन स्पर्शेन च रसेन च । रूपेण चातिरक्तेन शब्देन च विसर्पता
lohitasya tu gandhena sparśena ca rasena ca | rūpeṇa cātirakteṇa śabdena ca visarpatā
Sañjaya said: “By the smell of blood, by its touch and taste, by its exceedingly red appearance, and by the sound as it spread and flowed—(the battlefield was pervaded by the signs of bloodshed).” The verse underscores the sensory saturation of war: violence is not abstract but palpable, confronting all with the moral weight and consequence of slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war’s harm becomes unavoidable and all-pervading—experienced through every sense. It implicitly warns that violence leaves a total moral and existential imprint, reminding listeners that actions (especially killing) carry tangible, inescapable consequences.
Sañjaya is describing the battlefield’s condition during the Kurukṣetra war. Blood is portrayed as spreading and dominating the scene, conveyed through smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound—intensifying the horror and immediacy of the combat.