Shloka 28
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
पाज्चाल्याश्व महेष्वासा द्रौपद्या: पजच चात्मजा: । सर्वे दध्मुर्महाशड्खान् सिंहनादांश्न नेदिरे,काशिराज, शैब्य, महारथी शिखण्डी, धृष्टद्युम्न, विराट, महारथी सात्यकि, पांचालवीर, महाथनुर्धर द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र--ये सभी बड़े-बड़े शंखोंको बजाने और सिंहनाद करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | pāñcālyāś ca mahā-eṣvāsā draupadyāḥ pañca cātmajāḥ | sarve dadhmur mahā-śaṅkhān siṃha-nādāṃś ca nedire | kāśirājaḥ śaibyaś ca mahā-rathī śikhaṇḍī dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ virāṭaḥ mahā-rathī sātyakiḥ pāñcāla-vīrāḥ mahā-dhanur-dharāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty archers of the Pāñcālas, and Draupadī’s five sons, all together blew their great conches and raised lion-like battle-cries. Along with them, the king of Kāśī, Śaibya, the great chariot-warrior Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, the great chariot-warrior Sātyaki, and the Pāñcāla heroes—masters of the bow—sounded their conches and proclaimed their resolve. In the epic’s ethical frame, this collective roar signals disciplined readiness for a dharma-war, where courage is joined to duty and allegiance.
(संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights collective resolve aligned with duty: warriors publicly affirm readiness through conches and battle-cries, suggesting that courage in a dharma-war is not private emotion but disciplined, communal commitment to one’s pledged responsibility.
Sañjaya lists key Pāṇḍava-side allies—Pāñcālas, Draupadī’s sons, and major commanders like Śikhaṇḍin, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, and Sātyaki—who blow their conches and shout lion-roars, signaling the formal commencement of battle preparations.