Shloka 13
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 23: Report of the Slain Sūtaputras, Royal Orders, and Sairandhrī’s Return
येषां ज्यातलनिर्घोषो विस्फूर्जितमिवाशने: । व्यश्रूयत महायुद्धे भीमघोषस्तरस्विनाम्
yeṣāṃ jyātalanirghoṣo visphūrjitam ivāśaneḥ | vyaśrūyata mahāyuddhe bhīmaghoṣas tarasvinām ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „In jener großen Schlacht vernahm man das furchterregende Dröhnen jener mächtigen Kämpfer—wie das Schnalzen der Bogensehne, wie das berstende Donnern von Indras Vajra. Mögen sie meine klagenden Worte hören und verstehen: Diese Söhne eines Sūta führen mich zum Verbrennungsplatz.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily heightens the moral and emotional stakes through vivid battle-sound imagery: power and martial noise are contrasted with a vulnerable human cry. It implicitly warns that sheer force and intimidation can be turned toward unjust ends, and that one should heed a distressed appeal rather than be carried away by violent momentum.
The narrator describes how the fearsome sounds of warriors—bowstrings snapping and thunder-like roars—were heard in a great conflict. In that atmosphere, a speaker (in distress) calls out for attention, saying that ‘sons of a sūta’ are taking him away to the cremation-ground, indicating imminent danger and a plea for intervention.