Shloka 183
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
धनुर्ज्यातलशब्दश्न संस्पृश्य गगनं महान् | द्रपदके भयंकर बाण सब दिशाओंमें विचरने लगे। महाराज! उनकी विजय होती देख पांचालोंके घरोंमें शंख
vaiśampāyana uvāca | dhanurjyāṭalaśabdaś ca saṃspṛśya gaganaṃ mahān | drupadake bhayaṅkarā bāṇāḥ sarvadiśaṃ vicaranāḥ || mahārāja! teṣāṃ vijayaṃ dṛṣṭvā pañcālānāṃ gṛheṣu śaṅkhabherīmṛdaṅgādayaḥ sahasraśo vādyāni yugapat prāduḥśabdam akurvan | mahātmabalasampannāḥ pañcālasainikāḥ siṃhanādaṃ mahāvegena cakruḥ | sahaiva ca teṣāṃ dhanūṃṣi pratyancāṭaṅkāro mahān ākāśe vyāptaḥ pratyanunādayām āsa ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Dentang dahsyat tali busur bangkit, seakan menyentuh langit. Anak-anak panah yang mengerikan melesat ke segala penjuru. Wahai Raja, melihat kemenangan mereka, di rumah-rumah orang Pañcāla ribuan alat bunyi—śaṅkha, bherī, dan mṛdaṅga—serentak bergemuruh. Para prajurit Pañcāla yang berhati besar mengaum laksana singa dengan daya yang menggetarkan; dan bersamaan dengan itu, gaung keras tali busur mereka menyebar di angkasa dan berpantul ke segala arah.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how collective morale and inner strength (ātmabala) manifest outwardly in disciplined martial readiness and communal celebration. It implicitly contrasts righteous confidence and unity with fear: victory is not only a battlefield outcome but also a social and ethical affirmation that energizes a whole community.
A victorious moment for the Pañcālas is being described: arrows fly, bowstrings thunder, soldiers roar, and the populace celebrates with conches and drums. Vaiśampāyana paints a vivid soundscape of triumph and mobilized force, addressed to the king listening to the epic.