Shloka 36
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
समन्ताच्छड्खनिनदं पाण्डुसेनाकरोत् तदा । शत्रुसेनाध्वनिं श्रुत्वा तावका हानदन् भूशम,उस समय पाण्डव-सेना सब ओर शंखनाद करने लगी। शत्रुसेनाकी शंखध्वनि सुनकर आपके सैनिक भी जोर-जोरसे गर्जना करने लगे
samantāc chaṅkhaninādaṃ pāṇḍu-senākarot tadā | śatru-senā-dhvaniṃ śrutvā tāvakā hānadann bhūśam ||
Sañjaya said: Then the Pāṇḍava army raised a conch-blast on every side. Hearing the resounding call of the enemy host, your warriors too roared back with great force—answering sound with sound as the battle-spirit surged and the lines braced for combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective resolve is communicated through disciplined signals (conch-blasts and war-cries). Ethically, it shows the kṣatriya battlefield code: courage and readiness are publicly affirmed, and fear is countered by unity and response.
As the armies face each other, the Pāṇḍavas sound conches from all directions. The Kaurava troops, hearing the enemy’s martial din, answer with loud roars—an exchange that marks the escalation into active combat and the rallying of both sides.