Shloka 196
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
पाञ्चजन्यरवो घोर: पुनरासीद् विशाम्पते । प्रजानाथ! जब भीमसेन युद्धकी इच्छासे आपकी सेनाकी ओर प्रस्थित हुए, उस समय पुन: पांचजन्य शंखकी भयंकर ध्वनि प्रकट हुई
pāñcajanyaravo ghoraḥ punar āsīd viśāmpate | prajānātha! yadā bhīmasenaḥ yuddhecchayā tava senām abhitaḥ prasthitaḥ, tadā punaḥ pāñcajanyaśaṅkhasya bhīṣaṇā dhvaniḥ prādurabhavat |
Sanjaya said: “O lord of the people, O ruler of men! Once again the dreadful roar of the conch Pāñcajanya arose. For when Bhīmasena, driven by the will to fight, advanced toward your army, that fearsome blast of Pāñcajanya manifested again—an omen of renewed resolve and the moral pressure of battle upon the Kaurava host.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how symbols in war—like the sounding of Kṛṣṇa’s conch—serve as moral and psychological forces: they rally the righteous side, unsettle opponents, and signal unwavering resolve in the performance of kṣatriya-duty amid a dharma-charged conflict.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as Bhīma moves forward with the intent to fight against the Kaurava host, the terrifying sound of the conch Pāñcajanya is heard again, marking a renewed surge of battle momentum.