Shloka 17

युधिष्ठिरस्य राज्याभिषेकः | Yudhiṣṭhira’s Royal Consecration

Devanagari script

ततो<नुवादयामासु: पणवानकदुन्दुभीन्‌

Transliteration

tato 'nuvādayāmāsuḥ paṇavānaka-dundubhīn

Translation

Entonces hicieron resonar los paṇavas, ānakas y dundubhis—diversos tambores de guerra y timbales—, marcando el momento con una proclamación formal y pública por medio del sonido, y señalando la disposición y la determinación colectivas.

Word by Word

• ततः: then, thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त)

• अनुवादयामासुः: they caused to resound / they played (made sound)
• अनुवादयामासुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-√वद्
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपदम्), प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• पणव: kettledrums (panava drums)
• पणव: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पणव
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्

• आनक: war-drums (ānaka)
• आनक: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनक
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्

• दुन्दुभीन्: kettledrums (dundubhi drums)
• दुन्दुभीन्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुन्दुभि
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया, बहुवचनम्

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• paṇava (drum)
• ānaka (drum)
• dundubhi (war-drum)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how communal sound—drums in particular—functions as an ethical and social signal: it publicly marks a transition, gathers attention, and affirms collective resolve under recognized authority, emphasizing order and shared participation rather than private impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the preceding development, people (or attendants) begin sounding multiple kinds of ceremonial/military drums—paṇavas, ānakas, and dundubhis—creating a resounding announcement that frames the next event as formal and publicly witnessed.