Shloka 38
अग्नीनाधाय विधिवच्चितां प्रज्वाल्य सर्वतः । द्रोणमाधाय गायन्ति त्रीणि सामानि सामगा:,विधिपूर्वक अग्निकी स्थापना करके चिताको सब ओरसे प्रज्वलित कर दिया गया है और उसपर द्रोणाचार्यके शरीरको रखकर सामगान करनेवाले ब्राह्मण त्रिविध सामका गान करते हैं
agnīn ādhāya vidhivac citāṁ prajvālya sarvataḥ | droṇam ādhāya gāyanti trīṇi sāmāni sāmagāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Having ritually established the sacred fires according to rule, they kindled the funeral pyre on every side. Then, placing Droṇa upon it, the chanters of the Sāman hymns sang the threefold Sāman—performing the rites in due order.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the devastation of war, dharma is upheld through proper saṁskāra: the dead are honored with prescribed rites, sacred fire, and Vedic chant. The verse highlights ethical continuity—ritual order and reverence persist despite grief and violence.
A formal cremation is being performed: the sacred fires are established, the pyre is fully ignited, Droṇa’s body is placed upon it, and Sāmaveda chanters sing the three Sāman chants as part of the funeral ritual sequence.