Shloka 24
Saṃśaptaka-Varūthinī Saṅgrāma — Binding and Counter-Binding (संशप्तक-वरूथिनी-संग्रामः)
ततो दुन्दुभिनिर्घोषो मृदज़ानां च सर्वश: । सिंहनाद: सवादित्र: कुछ्जराणां च नि:स्वन:
tato dundubhinirghoṣo mṛdaṅgānāṃ ca sarvaśaḥ | siṃhanādaḥ savāditraḥ kuñjarāṇāṃ ca niḥsvanaḥ ||
Then, on every side, the deep booming of kettledrums arose; drums were beaten, and along with the blare of instruments there resounded the lion-like battle-cries of the warriors and the trumpeting roar of the elephants. The scene signals the swelling momentum of war—an outward clamor that stirs courage and collective resolve, even as it foreshadows the grave moral weight of the violence about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective sound—drums, instruments, cries, and elephant-roars—can inflame martial spirit and unify an army. Ethically, it also hints at the paradox of war: inspiring displays of valor arise amid actions that carry heavy dharmic consequences.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield erupting in noise: kettledrums and mṛdaṅgas are sounded everywhere, instruments blare, warriors shout lion-like cries, and elephants trumpet—marking the surge toward imminent combat.