Shloka 12
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
ततः प्राध्मापयच्छड्खं भेरीशतनिनादिनम् | प्रचुक्षुभे बल॑ सर्वमुद््भूत इव सागर:
tataḥ prādhmāpayac chaṅkhaṃ bherīśataninādinam | pracukṣubhe balaṃ sarvam udbhūta iva sāgaraḥ ||
Então Droṇa soprou sua concha, cujo brado era como o trovão de cem tambores de guerra. Ao ouvi-lo, todo o exército se alvoroçou, como se o oceano tivesse subitamente erguido uma grande ressaca.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the power of a single decisive signal to move a collective body—awakening courage, fear, and readiness. Ethically, it points to how leaders and symbols can shape the moral and emotional climate before action, for good or ill.
A warrior blows a conch that sounds as loud as a hundred war-drums. The sound spreads through the ranks, and the entire army becomes restless and stirred, compared to the ocean swelling in a sudden surge.