Shloka 573
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
दारिता सहसा भूमिश्नकम्पे च ननाद च । उनकी शंखध्वनि तथा रथके पहियोंकी घरघराहटसे पृथ्वी सहसा विदीर्ण-सी होकर काँपने और आर्तनाद करने लगी
dāritā sahasā bhūmiḥ śaṅkakampē ca nanāda ca |
Sañjaya said: All at once the earth seemed torn asunder; shaken by the blare of conches and the rumble of chariot-wheels, it trembled and gave forth a dreadful roar—an ominous sign of the immense martial force now unleashed.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective human action—especially war—creates consequences that feel cosmic: the earth itself is portrayed as reacting. It frames the battle as not merely political but morally weighty, accompanied by ominous signs.
As the armies signal and surge into action, the conches and the rumble of chariots swell so powerfully that the earth is described as shaking and roaring, conveying the terrifying scale of the impending combat.