Shloka 39
देवदुन्दुभयश्चैव सम्प्रणेदुर्महास्वना: । पपात पुष्पवृष्टिश्न भीष्मस्योपरि मारिष,आर्य! देवताओंकी दुन्दुभियाँ जोर-जोरसे बज उठीं। भीष्मके ऊपर फूलोंकी वर्षा होने लगी
devadundubhayaś caiva sampraṇedur mahāsvanāḥ | papāta puṣpavṛṣṭiś ca bhīṣmasyopari māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: “And the celestial kettledrums resounded loudly; and a shower of flowers fell upon Bhīṣma.” The scene marks divine acknowledgment amid the violence of war—honouring Bhīṣma’s stature and steadfastness even as the battlefield remains morally fraught.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within a destructive war, the epic highlights reverence for steadfast virtue and greatness of character: divine signs (drums and flowers) signal that moral worth can be acknowledged beyond partisan victory, reminding the listener to distinguish dharmic stature from mere battlefield success.
Sañjaya reports a divine portent: the gods’ drums thunder and flowers rain down upon Bhīṣma, indicating celestial approval or homage at a crucial moment connected with Bhīṣma’s fate and eminence on the battlefield.