Shloka 97
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
ननर्द बहुधा राजन् हृष्टश्नासीत् परंतप: । शड्खं दध्मौ च समरे सिंहनादं ननाद च
sañjaya uvāca | nanarda bahudhā rājan hṛṣṭaś cāsīt paraṃtapaḥ | śaṅkhaṃ dadhmau ca samare siṃhanādaṃ nanāda ca ||
Sañjaya said: O King, the valiant scorcher of foes was filled with exultation. Again and again he roared; and on the battlefield he blew his conch and raised a lion-like war-cry—heartening his own side and challenging the enemy in the righteous contest of arms.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kṣatriya ideal: disciplined courage expressed through battlefield signals (conch and lion-roar) that strengthen one’s own side and openly declare resolve. Ethically, it frames martial action as a public commitment to face the conflict without concealment, sustaining morale and clarity of purpose.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna, upon seeing the opposing forces, becomes intensely exhilarated. He repeatedly roars, blows his conch in the midst of battle, and utters a lion-like war-cry—standard martial acts that announce readiness and rally troops.