Shloka 41

Devanagari script

ततो दुन्दुभयश्चैव शड्खाश्न सुमहास्वना: । मुरजा डिण्डिमाश्नैव प्रावाद्यन्त सहस्रश:

Transliteration

tato dundubhayas caiva śaṅkhāś ca sumahāsvanāḥ | murajā ḍiṇḍimāś caiva prāvādyanta sahasraśaḥ ||

Translation

Alors, dans une puissante montée de sons, les timbales retentirent et les conques, au souffle d’une résonance immense, furent sonnées ; de même, les tambours muraja et les tambours ḍiṇḍima furent frappés par milliers.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

दुन्दुभयःkettledrums

चand

एवindeed, also

शङ्खाःconches

सुमहास्वनाःof very great sound (loud-sounding)

मुरजाःmṛdaṅga-drums (murajas)

डिण्डिमाःkettle-drums (ḍiṇḍimas)

चand

एवalso, indeed

प्रावाद्यन्तwere sounded, resounded

सहस्रशःby thousands; in thousands of ways/times

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

dundubhi (kettledrum)

śaṅkha (conch)

muraja (drum)

Ḍ

ḍiṇḍima (drum)

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 dharmic acts—especially royal or communal rites—are affirmed publicly through auspicious sound. The collective sounding of instruments symbolizes social consent, orderly celebration, and the proclamation of a legitimate, dharma-aligned event.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma describes a moment when conches and various drums are sounded loudly and in great numbers. This functions as a ceremonial announcement and a sign of festivity and auspiciousness surrounding the ongoing event being narrated in this section of Śānti Parva.