Shloka 41
Duryodhana Seeks Droṇa’s Counsel; Imperative to Protect Jayadratha; Pāñcāla Assault on Duryodhana
(तेनाच्युतोष्ठयुगपूरितमारुतेन शंखान्तरोदरविवृद्धविनि:सृतेन । नादेन सासुरवियत्सुरलोकपाल- मुद्विग्नमीश्वर जगत् स्फुटतीव सर्वम् ।।) तस्य शड्खस्य नादेन धनुषो निःस्वनेन च | निःसत्त्वाश्न ससत्त्वाश्न क्षितौ पेतुस्तदा जना:,“नरेश्वर! भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके दोनों ओठोंसे भरी हुई वायु शंखके भीतरी भागमें प्रवेश करके पुष्ट हो जब गम्भीर नादके रूपमें बाहर निकली, उस समय असुरलोक (पाताल), अन्तरिक्ष, देवलोक और लोकपालोंसहित सम्पूर्ण जगत् भयसे उद्विग्न हो विदीर्ण होता-सा जान पड़ा। उस शंखकी ध्वनि और धनुषकी टंकारसे उद्विग्न हो निर्मल और सबल सभी शत्रु-सैनिक उस समय पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े
sañjaya uvāca |
tenācyutoṣṭhayuga-pūritamārutena śaṅkhāntarodara-vivṛddha-viniḥsṛtena |
nādena sāsura-viyat-suraloka-pālam udvignam īśvara jagat sphuṭatīva sarvam ||
tasya śaṅkhasya nādena dhanuṣo niḥsvanena ca |
niḥsattvāś ca sasattvāś ca kṣitau petus tadā janāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: When the breath filled between Acyuta’s two lips entered the hollow of the conch, swelled within, and burst forth as a deep, resonant roar, the whole world—together with the regions of the Asuras, the mid-space, the heaven of the gods, and even the guardians of the quarters—seemed to tremble in fear, as though it were splitting apart. Startled by that conch-blast and by the twang of the bow, the enemy soldiers—both the faint-hearted and the stout-hearted—fell to the ground. The passage underscores how the presence and resolve of the righteous leader can shake the confidence of an unjust host, even before weapons are exchanged.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral strength and righteous resolve can break the enemy’s confidence even before combat begins; the verse portrays how a divinely guided signal (the conch-blast) becomes an ethical and psychological force, exposing fear in those aligned with adharma.
Sañjaya describes Kṛṣṇa blowing the war-conch; the sound swells from within the conch and erupts as a thunderous roar that seems to shake all realms. Along with the twang of the bow, it startles the opposing soldiers so intensely that many collapse to the ground.