Shloka 26
नराश्वमातड्रशरीरजेन रक्तेन सिक्तां च तथैव भूमिम् । रक्ताम्बरस्रक् तपनीययोगा- न्नारीं प्रकाशामिव सर्वगम्याम्
narāśvamātaḍraśarīrajena raktena siktāṃ ca tathaiva bhūmim | raktāmbarasrak tapanīyayogān nārīṃ prakāśām iva sarvagamyām ||
沙利耶说道：“那里的大地被从人、马与象的躯体中涌出的鲜血浸透。如此血染，它仿佛一名当众示人的娼妓，坦然立于众目之前——身披红衣，颈挂红色花鬘，佩戴着如同炽热锻成的黄金饰物。”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a shocking simile to underscore the moral horror of war: when violence becomes pervasive, even the earth seems ‘adorned’ by blood like a courtesan dressed for public display—an aestheticized image that actually condemns the normalization of slaughter and warns against losing ethical sensitivity (dharma-buddhi) amid battle.
Śalya describes the battlefield after intense fighting: streams of blood from fallen men, horses, and elephants have soaked the ground. He likens the blood-red earth, with its ‘red cloth’ and ‘gold ornaments’ imagery, to a courtesan visible to all—highlighting the scene’s grim, public, and inescapable carnage.