Shloka 3
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 18: सेनानिनादः, ध्वज-दीप्तिः, भीष्मरक्षण-व्यवस्था च
Battle Muster: Soundscape, Banners, and the Protection of Bhīṣma
हयानां ह्रेषमाणानां योधानां चैव गर्जताम् | क्षणेनैव नभो भूमि: शब्देनापूरितं तदा,घोड़ोंके हींसने और योद्धाओंके गर्जनेके शब्दोंसे एक ही क्षणमें वहाँकी पृथ्वी और आकाशका सारा प्रदेश गूँज उठा
hayānāṁ hreṣamāṇānāṁ yodhānāṁ caiva garjatām | kṣaṇenaiva nabho bhūmiḥ śabdenāpūritaṁ tadā ||
Sañjaya said: “With the neighing of horses and the roaring cries of warriors, in a single instant the whole expanse of earth and sky there was filled with sound.” The verse marks the overwhelming surge of war, as collective will and martial fervor drown the world in noise, foreshadowing the ethical gravity of the conflict about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war rapidly overwhelms the natural and moral landscape: the collective roar of armies can ‘fill’ earth and sky, suggesting the immense force of human passion and the grave ethical weight of entering battle.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere at Kurukṣetra: horses neigh and warriors shout so powerfully that, in an instant, the entire region seems to resound—setting the scene for the clash between the armies.