Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 4
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
तलत्राभिह्वताश्षैव ज्याशब्दा भरतर्षभ | पत्तीनां पादशब्दक्ष वाजिनां च महास्वन:
sañjaya uvāca | talatrābhihataś caiva jyāśabdā bharatarṣabha | pattīnām pādaśabdāś ca vājināṃ ca mahāsvanāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, the clash of palm-guards and the twang of bowstrings, the heavy tread of the foot-soldiers, and the loud neighing of the horses together rose into a single, terrifying roar—an omen-like din announcing that the armies had fully surged into battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it underscores the overwhelming momentum of war and the inevitability of consequences once violence is unleashed—an implicit ethical warning that conflict, once begun, becomes a force larger than individual intent.
Sañjaya reports to the Kuru king the battlefield’s rising din—bowstrings snapping, infantry pounding the ground, and horses neighing—signaling that the armies have closed in and the battle has fully commenced.