Shloka 35

Devanagari script

शड्खशब्दा: समुरजा भेर्यश्व मधुसूदन । उत्कृष्टसिंहनादश्न सुब्रह्मण्यो भविष्यति

Transliteration

śaṅkhaśabdāḥ samurajā bheryaśva madhusūdana | utkṛṣṭasiṃhanādaś ca subrahmaṇyo bhaviṣyati ||

Translation

കർണൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ മധുസൂദനാ! ശംഖധ്വനിയും മുരശ്-ഭേരികളുടെ മുഴക്കവും കുതിരകളുടെ ഹ്രേഷാധ്വനിയും ഒരുമിച്ച് ഉയരും; അതോടൊപ്പം ഉന്നതമായ സിംഹനാദവും മുഴങ്ങും. അവിടെ ‘സുബ്രഹ്മണ്യ!’ എന്ന മംഗള യുദ്ധഘോഷവും ഉയരും.

Word by Word

शङ्खशब्दाःsounds of conches

समुरजाःalong with drums (mṛdaṅga/dundubhi etc.)

भेर्यःkettledrums

चand

मधुसूदनO slayer of Madhu (Krishna)

उत्कृष्टसिंहनादःa splendid lion-roar (great roar)

सुब्रह्मण्यःauspicious/propitious (invoking Brahman; well-blessed)

भविष्यतिwill be / will occur

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

Madhusūdana (epithet of Kṛṣṇa)

conch (śaṅkha)

war-drums (bheryaḥ)

horses (aśvāḥ)

lion-roar (siṃhanāda)

Subrahmaṇya (invocatory cry)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how war is framed not only as physical conflict but as a charged moral-ritual moment: martial sounds (conches, drums, horse-neighs, lion-roar) and an auspicious invocation (‘Subrahmaṇya’) are presented as signals of collective resolve and the solemn, consecrated entry into battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Karna addresses Madhusūdana, forecasting the imminent outbreak of battle: the battlefield will resound with conches and drums, horses will neigh, warriors will roar like lions, and the traditional auspicious cry ‘Subrahmaṇya’ will be raised—depicting the mobilization and ceremonial intensity preceding combat.