Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 8
Śalya Installed as Commander; Coalition Agreement and Battle Arrays (शल्यसेनापत्यारोहणं व्यूहवर्णनं च)
अभिषिक्ते ततस्तस्मिन् सिंहनादो महानभूत् । तव सैन्ये5भ्यवाद्यन्त वादित्राणि च भारत
abhīṣikte tatastasmīn siṃhanādo mahān abhūt | tava sainye 'bhyavādyanta vāditrāṇi ca bhārata | iti satyaṃ bravīmy eṣa duryodhana na saṃśayaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: When he had thus been consecrated, a mighty lion-roar arose. In your army, O Bhārata, the musical instruments resounded on all sides. “This is the truth I tell you, Duryodhana—there is no doubt.” The scene marks the army’s exhilaration at the formal installation of a commander and the swelling confidence that often precedes further escalation of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how formal authority (abhīṣeka) and collective celebration can intensify confidence and commitment in war. Ethically, it hints at the danger of certainty and triumphalism: public acclamation may strengthen resolve, but it can also propel a conflict forward without reflection on dharma and consequences.
After a key figure is installed (anointed) in command, the Kaurava army erupts in loud battle-cries and instruments. Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra and closes with an emphatic assurance addressed to Duryodhana: “I speak the truth; there is no doubt.”
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