Shloka 12
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
वीणा नैवाद्य वाद्यन्ते शम्पातालस्वनै: सह । मड़ल्यानि च गीतानि न गायन्ति पठन्ति च
vīṇā naivādya vādyante śampātālasvanaiḥ saha | maḍalyāni ca gītāni na gāyanti paṭhanti ca ||
Sañjaya dit : «À présent, les vīṇā ne sont plus jouées, et les instruments de fête ne résonnent plus ensemble de leurs sons vibrants. Même les chants et les récitations d’usage ne sont plus chantés ni psalmodiés.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When adharma and mass violence dominate, the cultural signs of well-being—music, song, and public recitation—naturally cease. The verse uses the silence of the arts as an ethical indicator of collective distress and the breakdown of normal social harmony.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the usual sounds of celebration and communal life have stopped: instruments are not played and songs/recitations are not performed. This conveys the atmosphere of fear and mourning surrounding the events of the war.