Shloka 43
Chapter 89: Bhīma dispatched to protect Ghaṭotkaca amid escalating engagements
प्रावर्तत नदी घोरा शोणितौघतरड्रिणी । गोमायुगणसंकीर्णा क्षणेन क्षणदामुखे,फिर तो वे सब योद्धा वेगसे युद्ध करते हुए दुष्कर पराक्रम प्रकट करने लगे। उसी समय सूर्य अस्ताचलको चले गये और उनका प्रकाश लुप्त हो गया। इस प्रकार संध्या होते- होते क्षणभरमें रक्तके प्रवाहसे परिपूर्ण भयानक नदी बह चली और उसके तटपर गीदड़ोंकी भीड़ जमा हो गयी
sañjaya uvāca | prāvartata nadī ghorā śoṇitaughataradriṇī | gomāyugaṇasaṅkīrṇā kṣaṇena kṣaṇadāmukhe ||
Sañjaya nói: Chỉ trong khoảnh khắc, một dòng sông ghê rợn đã tuôn chảy—cuồn cuộn toàn máu—gầm rít và lao đi. Dọc bờ sông ấy, bầy chó rừng tụ lại, bị cuộc tàn sát lôi kéo.
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.