Shloka 57
Varuṇābhiṣeka–Agni-anveṣaṇa–Kaubera-tīrtha
Varuṇa’s Consecration; Search for Agni; Kaubera Sacred Site
नैर््नतों (भूतगणों)-की वह भयंकर सेना घंटा, भेरी, शंख और मृदंगकी ध्वनिसे गूँज रही थी। उसकी ऊँचे उठी हुई पताकाएँ फहरा रही थीं। अस्त्र-शस्त्रों और पताकाओंसे सम्पन्न वह विशाल वाहिनी नक्षत्रोंसे सुशोभित शरत्कालके आकाशकी भाँति शोभा पा रही थी।।
tato devanikāyās te nānābhūtagaṇās tathā | vādayāmāsur avyagrā bherīḥ śaṅkhāṃś ca puṣkalān ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: Maka kumpulan para dewa itu, bersama pelbagai rombongan makhluk ghaib, dengan hati tenang namun tekad tertumpu, mula membunyikan alat-alat perang—gendang besar dan banyak sangkakala—hingga segenap penjuru dipenuhi gema yang menggerunkan. Pemandangan itu bagaikan perhimpunan kosmik: bukan sekadar bala tentera manusia, tetapi kuasa di luar alam insan turut menzahirkan kehadiran, menambah berat moral dan rasa tak terelakkan pada perang itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that the war is not only a human contest but a cosmic event witnessed and, in a sense, ratified by higher powers. The composed (avyagra) sounding of drums and conches by divine and supernatural hosts suggests inevitability and the solemn, ritualized gravity of dharma’s consequences unfolding on the battlefield.
After a preceding description of a terrifying, resounding army, the narration adds that hosts of gods and various supernatural beings begin playing war instruments—especially kettledrums and many conches—amplifying the battlefield’s roar and marking a climactic escalation in the atmosphere of Shalya Parva.