Shloka 853
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
सस्नुस्तस्यां पपुश्नास्यां मम्लुश्न भरतर्षभ । उन सबके शरीर रक्तसे रँग गये थे। कवच
sa-snusta-stasyāṃ papuśnās-yāṃ mamluśna bharatarṣabha |
Sañjaya said: “O bull among the Bharatas, they bathed in that stream and even drank from it; their bodies were stained with blood. Their armor, weapons, and garments too became crimson. Many warriors washed themselves there, many swallowed mouthfuls of blood unawares, and many were overcome by exhaustion and faintness.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical cost of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, battle produces pervasive suffering and moral shock—so intense that basic acts like bathing and drinking become entangled with blood and exhaustion, reminding the listener of the tragic consequences of adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield waters were so mixed with blood that warriors bathed in them and inadvertently drank blood; their bodies, armor, weapons, and clothes were stained red, and many fighters became weak and faint from fatigue.