Shloka 3
निवातकवचैः सह अर्जुनस्य रथयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s chariot engagement with the Nivātakavacas
रथनेमिस्वनश्वैव घण्टाशब्दक्ष भारत । पृथग् व्यालमृगाणां च पक्षिणामिव सर्वश:,भारत! रथके पहियोंकी घर्घराहट, घंटानाद तथा सर्प, मृग एवं पक्षियोंक कोलाहल सब ओर पृथक्-पृथक् सुनायी दे रहे थे
rathanemisvanāś caiva ghaṇṭāśabdāś ca bhārata | pṛthag vyālamṛgāṇāṃ ca pakṣiṇām iva sarvaśaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, dari setiap penjuru kedengaran bunyi-bunyi yang berbeza—deruman roda kereta perang dan dentingan loceng; dan secara terpisah pula, jerit serta geseran ular, binatang liar, dan burung. Adegan ini dilukiskan melalui bunyi, menampakkan dunia yang hidup dengan gerak dan kewaspadaan, di mana tiap makhluk mengikuti svabhāva—fitrah dirinya—dalam suasana tegang dan berjaga-jaga.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how a setting can be understood through its sounds: each creature and object expresses its own nature distinctly. Implicitly, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s realism—dharma is lived amid a world of many voices, where discernment requires noticing what is separate and what is mixed.
Vaiśampāyana describes an environment filled with distinct noises: the grinding/rumbling of chariot wheels, the ringing of bells, and the separate calls or movements of serpents, wild animals, and birds heard from all directions—creating a vivid, tense forest-like soundscape around the travelers.