Shloka 19
सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions
यथा सिंहस्य नदतः स्वनं श्रुत्वेतरे मृगा: । त्रसेयुनिनिदं श्रुत्वा तथासीदत तद्धलम्
yathā siṁhasya nadataḥ svanaṁ śrutvetare mṛgāḥ | traseyur ninidaṁ śrutvā tathāsīdat tad balam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Just as the other beasts of the forest tremble on hearing the roar of a lion, so too, upon hearing that thunderous blare, the Kaurava host’s spirit slackened and their confidence sank into dejection.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that inner strength and moral confidence manifest as psychological power: a single commanding signal can unsettle an opposing force. In dharmic literature, fear often arises from inner doubt, while steadiness comes from conviction and purpose.
As the armies prepare for Kurukṣetra, a powerful sound—understood in context as the Pandava side’s conch-blast—reverberates. Hearing it, the Kaurava host loses enthusiasm and becomes dispirited, likened to forest beasts trembling at a lion’s roar.