Shloka 24
Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)
शड्खाभा: शड्खवक्त्राश्न शड्खवर्णास्तथैव च । शड्खमालापरिकरा: शड्खध्वनिसमस्वना:
śaṅkhābhāḥ śaṅkhavaktrāś ca śaṅkhavarṇās tathaiva ca | śaṅkhamālāparikarāḥ śaṅkhadhvanisamasvanāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “They appeared like conches; their faces were like conches; their complexion too was conch-white. Adorned with garlands shaped like conches, they resounded with a sound comparable to the reverberation of conch-blasts.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses conch imagery—white brilliance, ritual-martial symbolism, and resonant sound—to convey an atmosphere of awe and ominous power, reminding the listener that in war the mind is easily overwhelmed by fearsome appearances and portents.
Sañjaya describes a group or presence characterized by conch-like form, color, and sound—an intensified, otherworldly description that heightens the tension of the Sauptika episode and signals a charged, ominous environment.