Shloka 266
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
उदगाता तत्र संग्रामे त्रिसामा दुन्दुभि्न॑प । राजन! वाणीद्वारा ललकारने और महावतोंके अंकुशोंकी मार खानेपर हाथी जो चिग्घाड़ते हैं
udagātā tatra saṅgrāme trisāmā dundubhir nṛpa | rājan vāṇīdvārā lalakāraṇe ca mahāvatānām aṅkuśa-māra-khinnā gajānāṁ cicchāḍa-śabdaḥ kolāhala-karatala-dhvani-sahitaḥ sa yajñe vaṣaṭkāraḥ | nareśvara saṅgrāme yasyā dundubheḥ gambhīrā dhvaniḥ sa eva sāmavedasya trīṇi mantrāṇi paṭhan udagātā ||
राजन्, तस्मिन् संग्रामे दुन्दुभिरेव त्रिसामोऽुद्गाता। मुखेनोच्चारिताः सिंहनादाः, महावताङ्कुशताडितानां गजानां च नादाः—कोलाहलेन करतलध्वनिना च मिश्रिताः—तस्मिन् यज्ञे वषट्कारो भवन्ति। नरेश्वर, संग्रामदुन्दुभेर्गम्भीरो निनाद एव सामवेदत्रिमन्त्रपाठक उद्गाता इव।
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reimagines the battlefield through the grammar of Vedic sacrifice: the drum becomes the Udgātṛ, and the cries and elephant-trumpeting become the vaṣaṭ-call. It highlights how kings and warriors interpret action through dharma and ritual categories, stressing the moral weight and solemnity of war.
Ambarīṣa addresses a king and describes the sounds of battle—shouts, clamor, clapping, elephant cries, and the deep drumbeat—mapping each onto elements of a yajña, especially the Udgātṛ’s Sāman chanting and the vaṣaṭ exclamation.