Shloka 553
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
अन्तर्भूमिगतश्वैव तव पुत्रे निपातिते । राजन! जब आपका पुत्र मार गिराया गया, उस समय इस भूतलपर भेरी, शंखों और मृदंगोंका गम्भीर घोष होने लगा
antarbhūmi-gataś caiva tava putre nipātite | rājan, yadā tava putro māritaḥ, tadā asmin bhūtale bherī-śaṅkha-mṛdaṅgānāṃ gambhīro ghoṣaḥ samabhavat |
Vāyu dit : «Ô roi ! Lorsque ton fils fut frappé et tomba sur la terre, un vacarme profond et retentissant s’éleva sur le sol : tambours bherī, conques śaṅkha et mṛdaṅga sonnèrent ensemble. Cet instant ne marque pas seulement la mort d’un guerrier, mais le sombre rituel de la guerre : les instruments proclament la victoire tandis que le dharma est éprouvé par le prix du sang et des vies.»
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of war: public signals of triumph (drums and conches) arise immediately upon a death, reminding the listener that martial duty and victory are inseparable from grief, loss, and the testing of dharma.
Vāyu addresses a king and describes the moment the king’s son is slain and falls to the ground; at that instant, loud battlefield instruments—bherīs, conches, and mṛdaṅgas—sound across the earth, marking the event as a decisive and publicly proclaimed turn in the battle.