Shloka 34

Devanagari script

बकासुरके विशालकाय भ्राता शत्रुमन अलायुधको मारा गया देख पांचाल और पाण्डव सिंहनाद करने लगे ।। ततो भेरीसहस्राणि शड्खानामयुतानि च । अवादयन्‌ पाण्डवेया राक्षसे निहते युधि,युद्धस्थलमें उस राक्षसके मारे जानेपर पाण्डवदलके सैनिकोंने सहस्रों नगाड़े और हजारों शंख बजाये

Transliteration

tato bherīsahasrāṇi śaṅkhānām ayutāni ca | avādayan pāṇḍaveyā rākṣase nihate yudhi ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Alors, lorsque ce rākṣasa eut été tué sur le champ de bataille, les combattants des Pāṇḍavas firent retentir des milliers de tambours et des dizaines de milliers de conques, proclamant la chute d’un adversaire redoutable.»

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

भेरी-सहस्राणिthousands of kettle-drums

शङ्खानाम्of conches

अयुतानिten-thousands (myriads)

चand

अवादयन्they sounded/played

पाण्डवेयाःthe Pandavas' men (Pandava-side warriors)

राक्षसेwhen/with the demon (being ...)

निहतेslain

युधिin battle

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāṇḍavas (Pāṇḍaveyāḥ)

Rākṣasa (unnamed in the verse)

Bherī (war-drums)

Śaṅkha (conches)

Battlefield (yudhi)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how collective signals—drums and conches—serve not merely as celebration but as ethical and strategic communication in war: announcing a decisive event, consolidating unity, and sustaining resolve amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

After a rākṣasa combatant is killed in the battle, the Pāṇḍava forces respond by loudly sounding thousands of war-drums and vast numbers of conches, marking victory and rallying their troops.