Shloka 24

Aśvatthāmā’s Stuti of Rudra and Śiva’s Empowerment (सौप्तिकपर्व, अध्याय ७)

Devanagari script

शड्खाभा: शड्खवक्त्राश्न शड्खवर्णास्तथैव च । शड्खमालापरिकरा: शड्खध्वनिसमस्वना:

Transliteration

śaṅkhābhāḥ śaṅkhavaktrāś ca śaṅkhavarṇās tathaiva ca | śaṅkhamālāparikarāḥ śaṅkhadhvanisamasvanāḥ ||

Translation

शङ्खाभाः शङ्खवक्त्राश्च शङ्खवर्णास्तथैव च । शङ्खमालापरिकराः शङ्खध्वनिसमस्वनाः ॥

Word by Word

शङ्खाभाःhaving the appearance of conches (conch-like)

शङ्खवक्त्राःconch-mouthed (having mouths like conches)

शङ्खवर्णाःconch-colored (white like a conch)

तथाthus; likewise

एवindeed; just

चand

शङ्खमालापरिकराःhaving conch-garlands as adornment/equipment

शङ्खध्वनिसमस्वनाःhaving a sound equal to the sound of a conch

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

conch (śaṅkha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses conch imagery—white brilliance, ritual-martial symbolism, and resonant sound—to convey an atmosphere of awe and ominous power, reminding the listener that in war the mind is easily overwhelmed by fearsome appearances and portents.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a group or presence characterized by conch-like form, color, and sound—an intensified, otherworldly description that heightens the tension of the Sauptika episode and signals a charged, ominous environment.