Shloka 363
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
अश्वस्कन्धैर्गजस्कन्धैस्तस्य लोका यथा मम । जिसके युद्ध-यज्ञकी वेदी शत्रुओंके मस्तकों, घोड़ोंकी गर्दनों और हाथियोंके कंधोंसे बिछ जाती है, उस वीरको मेरे-जैसे ही लोक प्राप्त होते हैं
aśvaskandhair gajaskandhais tasya lokā yathā mama |
Sinabi ni Ambarīṣa: “Ang mandirigmang ang dambana ng kanyang ‘yajña ng digmaan’ sa larangan ay wari’y nalalatagan ng mga ulo ng kaaway, mga leeg ng kabayo, at mga balikat ng elepante—ang mga mundong matatamo niya ay gaya ng sa akin.”
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses sacrificial (yajña) metaphor to interpret warfare as a duty-bound act that can yield spiritual ‘worlds’ (lokas), highlighting the Mahābhārata’s complex view that even harsh royal action may be evaluated through dharma and intention—while still leaving moral unease about violence.
Ambarīṣa is speaking about the posthumous reward of a heroic warrior, describing the battlefield as a ritual altar covered with the bodies (metonymically, shoulders/necks) of war-animals, and declaring that such a warrior attains realms comparable to Ambarīṣa’s own.