Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 15
Mahāvasu’s Fall by Speech-Error and Release through Devotion (अज-विवादः वसोः शापः विमोचनं च)
देवदुन्दुभयश्वैव प्रावाद्यन्त महास्वना: । विश्वावसुश्न गन्धर्वस्तथा तुम्बुरुनारदौ
devadundubhayāś caiva prāvādyanta mahāsvanāḥ | viśvāvasuś ca gandharvas tathā tumburunāradau ||
Bhīṣma said: “The divine kettledrums resounded with mighty sound; and the Gandharva Viśvāvasu, along with Tumburu and Nārada, also began to perform.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Celestial music and divine instruments function as narrative signs of auspiciousness and cosmic participation, implying that significant events are not merely human affairs but are witnessed and, at times, affirmed by higher orders aligned with dharma.
Bhīṣma describes a moment when divine drums thunder and renowned celestial musicians—Viśvāvasu, Tumburu, and Nārada—begin performing, creating a solemn, celebratory atmosphere that frames the episode as spiritually momentous.