Shloka 29
भीष्मस्य शरवर्षः — Bhīṣma’s Arrow-Storm and Kṛṣṇa’s Impulse to Intervene
महान्त्यनीकानि महासमुच्छूये ततस्तयो: पाण्डवर्धार्तराष्ट्रयो: । चकम्पिरे शड्खमृदड़निःस्वनै: प्रकम्पितानीव वनानि वायुना,उस महान संग्राममें पाण्डव तथा कौरवपक्षकी विशाल सेनाएँ शंख और मृदंगकी ध्वनियोंसे उसी प्रकार काँप रही थीं, जैसे वायुके वेगसे समूचा वन-प्रान्त हिलने लगता है। उस अमंगलजनक मुहूर्तमें नरेशों, हाथियों और अश्वोंसे परिपूर्ण हो परस्पर आक्रमण करती हुई उभय पक्षकी उन विशाल सेनाओंका भयंकर शब्द वायुसे विक्षुब्ध हुए समुद्रोंकी गर्जनाके समान जान पड़ता था
sañjaya uvāca | mahānty anīkāni mahāsamucchūye tatas tayoḥ pāṇḍava-dhārtarāṣṭrayoḥ | cakampire śaṅkha-mṛdaṅga-niḥsvanaiḥ prakampitānīva vanāni vāyunā ||
Sañjaya said: Then, as the vast battle-formations of the Pāṇḍavas and the Dhārtarāṣṭras surged up in that great clash, they seemed to tremble with the blare of conches and the booming of drums—like forests quivering when struck by a powerful wind. In that ominous moment, the dreadful roar of both armies, filled with kings, elephants, and horses and rushing upon one another, seemed like the thunder of oceans churned by the wind.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming, contagious force of war: collective noise and spectacle can shake even the steadfast, suggesting an ethical warning about how conflict amplifies fear, aggression, and momentum beyond individual control.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the two sides’ immense formations have surged into the great battle; the conches and drums resound so powerfully that the armies seem to tremble like forests shaken by wind.