Shloka 22
भीमसेनस्य प्रतिघातः—भगदत्तगजप्रहारः—घटोत्कचमायायुद्धम्
Bhīma’s Counteroffensive, Bhagadatta’s Elephant Assault, and Ghaṭotkaca’s Māyā Engagement
बभूव तुमुल: शब्दो विमिश्रो दुन्दुभिस्वनै: । दिवस्पृड नरवीराणां निघ्नतामितरेतरम् | सम्प्रहारे सुतुमुले तव तेषां च भारत
sañjaya uvāca |
babhūva tumulaḥ śabdo vimiśro dundubhisvanaiḥ |
divas-pṛg nara-vīrāṇāṁ nighnatām itaretaram |
samprahāre sutumule tava teṣāṁ ca bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: In that exceedingly fierce clash between your forces and theirs, O Bhārata, a tumultuous roar arose—mingled with the booming of kettledrums. As the heroic warriors struck one another in mutual assault and counterassault, their dreadful din spread upward, seeming to touch the very sky.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the overwhelming sensory force of war—how collective violence becomes a sky-filling uproar. Ethically, it underscores the magnitude and terror of mutual aggression, setting a sobering backdrop for reflections on duty (dharma) and the human cost of conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, as the two armies close in fierce combat, the noise of chariots and warriors striking one another swells and blends with the booming of war-drums, becoming so intense it seems to reach the heavens.