Shloka 32
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
शड्खदुन्दुभिनिर्घोषं वादित्राणां च निः:स्वनम्
śaṅkhadundubhinirghoṣaṃ vāditrāṇāṃ ca niḥsvanam
Sañjaya said: “There arose the thunderous blare of conches and kettledrums, and the resounding din of other war-instruments as well.” In the moral atmosphere of the epic, this swelling martial sound signals the collective resolve of armies entering a fateful contest where courage and duty are invoked, even as the cost of violence looms over all.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how collective action in war is preceded and energized by signals—conches and drums—that awaken courage and a sense of duty; ethically, it reminds the reader that such stirring calls can propel people into grave, consequential choices.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield soundscape: conches, kettledrums, and other instruments are being sounded loudly, indicating the armies’ mobilization and the intensification of the conflict in the Drona Parva.