Shloka 58
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
पटहान् झर्मरांश्वैव क्रकनचान् गोविषाणकान् । आडबम्बरान् गोमुखांश्व डिण्डिमांश्व महास्वनान्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | paṭahān jharmarāṁś caiva krakacān goviṣāṇakān | āḍambarān gomukhāṁś ca ḍiṇḍimāṁś ca mahāsvanān ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, in succession, they began to sound many kinds of war-instruments—kettledrums, clashing cymbals, saw-like rattles, horns made from cow-horn, resonant āḍambara drums, gomukha horns, and great-sounding kettledrums. The rising din marks the gathering and mobilization of forces, where collective resolve is expressed through ritualized martial music rather than private speech.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war is not only fought with weapons but also staged through ritual signals—drums and horns that unify troops, announce intent, and intensify collective emotion. Ethically, it underscores the impersonal momentum of battle: once such signals rise, individual hesitation yields to the larger machinery of conflict.
After a preceding development in the battle sequence, various loud war-instruments are sounded in succession. This auditory escalation indicates the assembling and activation of forces, functioning like a formal proclamation that the next phase of combat is underway.