Shloka 43
Chapter 89: Bhīma dispatched to protect Ghaṭotkaca amid escalating engagements
प्रावर्तत नदी घोरा शोणितौघतरड्रिणी । गोमायुगणसंकीर्णा क्षणेन क्षणदामुखे
sañjaya uvāca | prāvartata nadī ghorā śoṇitaughataradriṇī | gomāyugaṇasaṅkīrṇā kṣaṇena kṣaṇadāmukhe ||
شام کے دہانے پر، ایک ہی لمحے میں خون کے سیلاب کی موجوں سے بھری ایک ہولناک ندی بہہ نکلی، اور اس کے کناروں پر گیدڑوں کے غول جمع ہو گئے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as an ethical warning through imagery: unchecked violence in war produces consequences so extreme that nature itself appears inverted—blood becomes a river and scavengers gather. It underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that adharma and loss of restraint in conflict invite ruin and ominous signs.
Sanjaya reports a terrifying battlefield omen: as fighting intensifies, a ‘river’ of blood seems to surge forth, and jackals crowd the banks. The description heightens the horror of the battle and foreshadows further destruction.