Shloka 59
Dvaipāyana-hrade Duryodhanasya Māyā — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharmoktiḥ (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 30)
महता शड्खनादेन रथनेमिस्वनेन च । ऊर्ध्व॑ धुन्वन् महारेणुं कम्पयंश्वापि मेदिनीम्
mahātā śaṅkhanādena rathanemisvanena ca | ūrdhvaṃ dhunvan mahāreṇuṃ kampayaṃś cāpi medinīm ||
Sañjaya said: With a mighty blast of conches and the rumbling sound of chariot-wheels, they came there, flinging a vast cloud of dust upward and making the earth itself tremble. Hearing the uproar of Yudhiṣṭhira’s army, the three great chariot-warriors—Kṛtavarmā, Kṛpācārya, and Aśvatthāmā—then addressed King Duryodhana in this manner.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war amplifies collective emotion—noise, dust, and trembling earth become symbols of escalating conflict. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a space where leaders must respond to overwhelming momentum with discernment, since martial spectacle can cloud judgment and intensify destructive resolve.
Sañjaya describes the arrival and advance marked by conch-blasts and chariot-wheel thunder, raising dust and shaking the ground. Hearing the tumult from Yudhiṣṭhira’s forces, Kṛtavarmā, Kṛpācārya, and Aśvatthāmā prepare to speak to Duryodhana, setting up counsel or a tactical response.