Shloka 13

Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)

Devanagari script

बाणशब्दरवाश्नापि सिंहनादाश्न पुष्कला: । शड्खशब्दश्न शूराणां दारुण: समपद्यत,बाणोंकी सनसनाहट, शूरवीरोंका सिंहनाद और शंखध्वनि--इन सबकी मिली-जुली आवाज बड़ी भयानक जान पड़ती थी

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | bāṇaśabdaravāś cāpi siṃhanādāś ca puṣkalāḥ | śaṅkhaśabdāś ca śūrāṇāṃ dāruṇaḥ samapadyata ||

Translation

تیروں کی سنسناہٹ، سورماؤں کے شیر جیسے نعرے اور شنکھوں کی صدا—یہ سب مل کر ایک نہایت ہولناک گرج بن گئے۔

Word by Word

बाणशब्दरवाःthe sounds and roars of arrows (whizzing)

चand

अपिalso

सिंहनादाःlion-roars (battle-cries)

चand

पुष्कलाःabundant, many

शङ्खशब्दाःconch-sounds

चand

शूराणाम्of the heroes

दारुणःterrible, dreadful

समपद्यतarose/occurred; came to be

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

arrows (bāṇa)

conch (śaṅkha)

warriors/heroes (śūrāḥ)

lion-roar battle-cry (siṃhanāda)

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 highlights how war amplifies collective emotion—courage, fear, and determination—through sound. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a place where inner steadiness and adherence to one’s duty (dharma) are tested amid overwhelming sensory turmoil.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere: arrows hiss through the air, warriors shout lion-like cries, and conches blare. The mingled noise becomes dreadful, indicating the clash is intensifying.