Shloka 443
अलंबलवधः (Alaṃbala-vadhaḥ) / The Slaying of Alaṃbala and the Advance toward Karṇa
दध्मौ शड्खं महानादमार्षभेणाथ माधव: । सात्यकिको रथहीन और कर्णको युद्धके लिये उद्यत देख भगवान् श्रीकृष्णने बड़े जोरकी ध्वनि करनेवाले शंखको ऋषभस्वरसे बजाया
sañjaya uvāca | dadhmau śaṅkhaṃ mahānādam ārṣabheṇātha mādhavaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Then Mādhava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) blew his conch, whose sound was mighty, in a deep, bull-like resonance. Seeing Sātyaki without his chariot and Karṇa poised for battle, Kṛṣṇa’s thunderous conch-call functions as a moral rally—steadfastness in adversity and the refusal to abandon one’s ally even when the situation turns dire.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast leadership and loyalty in crisis: when an ally is vulnerable and an adversary is ready, a righteous leader strengthens morale and resolve rather than yielding to fear or confusion.
Sañjaya narrates that Śrī Kṛṣṇa blows a thunderous conch with a deep resonance, a battlefield signal of readiness and encouragement, in the context of Sātyaki being without his chariot and Karṇa preparing to fight.