Shloka 80
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
नराश्वकायै: संछन्ना भूमिरासीद् विशाम्पते । रुधिरोदकचित्रा च भीरूणां भयवर्धिनी,प्रजानाथ! वह रणभूमि मनुष्यों और घोड़ोंकी लाशोंसे पट गयी थी तथा पानीकी तरह बहाये जाते हुए रक्तसे विचित्र शोभा धारण करके कायरोंका भय बढ़ा रही थी
sañjaya uvāca |
narāśvakāyaiḥ saṃchannā bhūmir āsīd viśāṃpate |
rudhirodakacitrā ca bhīrūṇāṃ bhayavardhinī prajānātha ||
ข้าแต่เจ้าแห่งประชา! พื้นพิภพในสนามรบนั้นถูกปกคลุมด้วยซากศพมนุษย์และม้า และด้วยโลหิตที่ไหลราวสายน้ำแต้มแต่งเป็นลวดลายอันน่าสะพรึง จึงยิ่งเพิ่มความหวาดหวั่นแก่ผู้ขลาดกลัว
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and psychological cost of war: the battlefield’s horrific reality—corpses and blood—becomes a mirror of adharma’s consequences and a test of inner steadiness. It highlights how violence amplifies fear in the weak-minded, implicitly valuing courage, restraint, and responsibility in wielding power.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the grim scene on the battlefield: the ground is blanketed with the bodies of slain men and horses, and streams of blood make the terrain appear as if water were flowing—an appalling sight that heightens panic among the timid.