Shloka 19
Bhīmasena’s Kalinga Engagement and the Approach of Bhīṣma (भीमसेन-कालिङ्ग-संग्रामः)
तत्र तत्र नरौघाणां क्रोशतामितरेतरम् | शुश्रुवुर्दारुणा वाच: प्रेतानामिव भारत
tatra tatra naraughāṇāṁ krośatām itaretaram | śuśruvur dāruṇā vācaḥ pretānām iva bhārata ||
Sañjaya nói: Khắp nơi trên chiến địa, những đoàn người đông nghịt, vừa kêu gọi nhau, vừa phát ra những tiếng nói rợn người. Hỡi Bhārata, âm thanh ấy vang lên như tiếng huyên náo của kẻ đã chết.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the human cost of war: when violence dominates, the battlefield becomes a realm of near-death where ordinary human voices resemble the tumult of the dead. It implicitly warns that adharma and uncontrolled aggression dehumanize both victim and victor, making suffering the loudest ‘message’ of conflict.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that across the battlefield, masses of wounded and terrified men are crying out to one another. Their collective wailing is so dreadful that it sounds like the uproar of pretas (the departed), conveying the chaos and horror of the fighting.