Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 2
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
कुरूणां सृञजयानां च जिगीषूणां परस्परम् । सिंहानामिव संह्वादो दिवमुर्वी च नादयन्
sañjaya uvāca | kurūṇāṃ sṛñjayānāṃ ca jigīṣūṇāṃ parasparam | siṃhānām iva saṃhrādo divam urvīṃ ca nādayan |
Sañjaya said: The Kurus and the Sṛñjayas, each intent on conquering the other, roared like lions. That lion-like tumult resounded, making both the earth and the sky reverberate.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the thirst for victory (jigīṣā) can intensify into overwhelming collective aggression; it frames the battlefield as a moral crucible where kṣatriya valor is displayed, yet the very grandeur of the war-cry also foreshadows the tragic cost of fratricidal conflict.
Sañjaya describes the opposing forces—Kurus and Sṛñjayas—shouting battle-cries like lions, their roar echoing across earth and sky, signaling that the armies are fully roused and the confrontation is imminent.