Shloka 8
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
ततो भेर्यक्ष पेश्यक्ष॒ क्रराचा गोविषाणिका: । सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त तत: शब्दो महानभूत्,तदनन्तर भेरी, पेशी, क्रकच और नरसिंहे आदि बाजे सहसा बज उठे। इससे वहाँ महान् शब्द गूँजने लगा
tato bheryaś ca peśyaś ca krakacā govīṣāṇikāḥ | sahasaivābhyahanyanta tataḥ śabdo mahān abhūt ||
Sanjaya said: Then drums and kettledrums, harsh-sounding instruments, and cow-horn trumpets were suddenly struck together. From that a great roar of sound arose—an audible sign of the armies’ readiness and the irreversible momentum toward battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how collective actions and signals (here, the sudden sounding of war-instruments) can propel a community into irreversible consequences. Ethically, it highlights the gravity of initiating violence: once the call to battle is sounded, restraint becomes harder and responsibility for outcomes becomes shared.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere as multiple war-instruments—drums, kettledrums, harsh-sounding instruments, and cow-horn trumpets—are struck at once, producing a tremendous noise that marks the armies’ mobilization and the imminent commencement of fighting.