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 ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “Ó Bhārata, de todos os lados ouviam-se sons distintos — o ribombar das rodas dos carros e o tilintar dos sinos; e, separadamente, os gritos e o roçar de serpentes, feras e aves. A cena é pintada pelo som, revelando um mundo vivo de movimento e alerta, em que cada ser segue o seu svabhāva — a própria natureza — num ambiente tenso e vigilante.”
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.