Shloka 56
तद् गजाश्वरथौघानां रुधिरेण समुक्षितम् । छन्नमायोधन रेजे रक्ता भ्रमिव शारदम्
tad gajāśvarathaughānāṁ rudhireṇa samukṣitam | channam āyodhanaṁ reje raktā bhramir iva śāradam ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Pagkaraan, ang larangan ng digmaan—nababalot at basang-basa sa dugo ng nagkakapatung-patong na mga elepante, kabayo, at mga mandirigmang nasa karwahe—ay nagningning, na wari’y mga pulang ulap na kumikislap sa dapithapon ng taglagas. Ipinapakita ng larawang ito ang kakila-kilabot na karilagan ng digmaan: may kagandahang nakikita, ngunit isinilang ito mula sa malawakang pagpatay, at nagpapaalala sa nakikinig ng halagang moral na kaakibat ng luwalhating pandigma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of war’s ‘splendor’: the battlefield may appear visually magnificent, yet that beauty is inseparable from bloodshed. It invites ethical reflection on how martial glory can mask suffering, and how a witness must see both the appearance and the cost.
Sañjaya narrates the scene of Kurukṣetra after intense fighting: the ground is covered and soaked with blood from fallen elephants, horses, and chariot-warriors, and the whole field looks red—likened to autumn evening clouds.