Shloka 38
Gāndhārī’s Battlefield Survey: The Fallen and the Onset of Funeral Rites (शल्य-भगीरथ-भीष्म-द्रोणादि-दर्शनम्)
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 berkata: “Setelah menegakkan api suci menurut aturan upacara, mereka menyalakan unggun pembakaran dari segala arah. Lalu, setelah meletakkan Droṇa di atasnya, para pelantun himne Sāman menyanyikan Sāman tiga rangkap—melaksanakan segala ritus menurut tertibnya.”
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.