Shloka 15
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
इन्द्र रवाच ऋषत्विज: कुण्जरास्तत्र वाजिनो<थ्वर्यवस्तथा । हवींषि परमांसानि रुधिरं त्वाज्यमुच्यते
indra uvāca—rājan, asmin yuddha-yajñe kuñjarā eva ṛtvijaḥ, vājino ’dhvaryavaḥ tathā; havīṃṣi paramāṃsāni, rudhiraṃ tv ājyam ucyate.
Sabi ni Indra: “O Hari, sa yajña na ito na digmaan, ang mga elepante mismo ang mga ṛtvij, at ang mga kabayo ang mga adhvaryu. Ang handog ay ang laman ng mga kaaway, at ang kanilang dugo ang tinatawag na ghee.”
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how war can be described using the language of Vedic sacrifice, turning instruments of battle into ritual roles and blood into ‘ghee.’ This highlights a key Mahabharata concern: dharma can be argued through powerful metaphors, yet such sacralization of violence raises ethical tension and demands discernment.
Indra addresses a king and characterizes the ongoing conflict as a ‘war-sacrifice,’ mapping elephants and horses onto priestly functions and defining enemy flesh and blood as offerings. The speech functions as a rhetorical reframing meant to interpret (and potentially justify) the brutality of battle within a ritual paradigm.