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 ||
โอ้ภารตะ! ทุกทิศมีเสียงต่างๆ แยกกันชัดเจน—เสียงครืนครั่นของล้อรถศึก เสียงกระดิ่งกังวาน และอีกด้านหนึ่งเป็นเสียงอื้ออึงของงู สัตว์ป่า และหมู่นก
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.