Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
दध्मु: शड्खांश्व॒ भेरीश्व ताडयामासुराहवे । महाराज! पाण्डव उस महासमरमें शत्रुओंको जीतकर शंख फूँकने और नगाड़े पीटने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | dadhmuḥ śaṅkhāṃś ca bherīś ca tāḍayāmāsur āhave | mahārāja! pāṇḍavāḥ tasmin mahāsamare śatrūn jitvā śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ bherīś ca tāḍayāmāsuḥ |
Sañjaya sagte: Mitten in der Schlacht bliesen sie die Muschelhörner und schlugen die Kriegstrommeln. O großer König! Nachdem die Pāṇḍavas ihre Feinde in jenem gewaltigen Gefecht überwunden hatten, ließen sie die Muscheln erschallen und die Kesseltrommeln dröhnen—als Verkündigung des Sieges.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how outward ritual signals—conch-blowing and drum-beating—function ethically and socially in war: they announce a turning of fortune, strengthen collective resolve, and communicate order and confidence to one’s side. In the Mahābhārata’s frame, such signals often accompany the assertion of a righteous cause and disciplined leadership.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, in a major clash, the Pāṇḍavas gained the upper hand over their opponents and then sounded conches and beat war-drums as a public proclamation of victory on the battlefield.