The blood of elephants and steeds and human beings formed its current. Weapons formed its fish in profusion. It was miry with blood and flesh. Wails of grief and pain formed its roar. Banners and cloth formed its froth. Afflicted with shafts and darts, worn with exertion, spent with toil on the (previous) night, and exceedingly weakened, elephants and steeds, with limbs perfectly motionless, stood on the field. With their arms (in beautiful attitudes) and with their beautiful coats of mail, and heads decked with beautiful ear-rings, the warriors, adorned with implements of battle, looked exceedingly resplendent.[250] At that time, in consequence of the carnivorous animals and the dead and the dying, there was no path for the cars all over the field. Afflicted with shafts steeds of the noblest breed and high mettle, resembling elephants (in size and strength), worn out with toil, were seen to tremble with great effort, as they drew vehicles whose wheels had sunk in the earth. The whole of that host, O Bharata, resembling the ocean for vastness, then became agitated, and afflicted, inspired with terror, with the exception only of Drona and Arjuna. Those two became the refuge, these two became the saviours, of the warriors of their respective sides. Others, encountering these two proceeded to the abode of Yama. Then the vast host of the Kurus became greatly agitated, and the Panchalas, huddled together, became no longer distinguishable.Mbh 7.187.1b · Mahabharata · DRONA PARVA
Mbh 7.187.1b
Mahabharata · translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli
Themes in this passage
CreationSufferingWarDeathNatureWorkFearGrief
Creation in other traditions
The same theme, as Islam, Christianity, Taoism and Buddhism address it.
Lo! We have created them a (new) creationQuran 56:35 · Quran
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.Genesis 1:27 · Bible · Genesis
Abstaining from speech marks him who is obeying the spontaneity of his nature. A violent wind does not last for a whole morning; a sudden rain does not last for the whole day. To whom is it that these (two) things are owing? To Heaven and Earth. If Heaven and Earth cannot make such (spasmodic) actings last long, how much less can man!Tao Te Ching 23.1 · Tao Te Ching
`All created things perish,' he who knows and sees this becomes passive in pain; this is the way to purity.Dhp 20.277 · Dhammapada · The Way
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