Mahabharata — Bhishma Parva, Shloka 6
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
तस्मिन् समुदिते शब्दे तुमुले लोमहर्षणे । बभूव रथनिर्घोष: पर्जन्यनिनदोपम:
sañjaya uvāca | tasmin samudite śabde tumule lomaharṣaṇe | babhūva rathanirghoṣaḥ parjanyaninadopamaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: When that tumultuous, hair-raising uproar arose, the rumbling of the chariots swelled forth—like the dreadful thunder of rain-clouds. The battlefield’s many sounds merged into a single overwhelming roar, signaling the full ignition of war and the moral gravity of the conflict about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral weight and inevitability of war: the many instruments of violence fuse into a single, overpowering roar, evoking awe and dread. It frames the coming action not as mere spectacle but as a moment charged with consequence, where human choices (dharma and adharma) will be tested amid chaos.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield as the armies engage: a terrifying uproar rises, and the rumbling of chariots becomes prominent, likened to thunderclouds. It is a sensory escalation marking the onset of large-scale combat.