Shloka 4

Devanagari script

नदद्धरिश्न महानागैह्नेषमाणैश्न वाजिभि: | भेरीशड्खनिनादैश्व तुमुलं समपद्यत,विग्घाड़ते हुए बड़े-बड़े गजराजों, हिनहिनाते हुए घोड़ों तथा भेरी और शंखकी ध्वनियोंसे भयंकर कोलाहल छा गया

Transliteration

nadad-dhariṣṇair mahānāgaiḥ hneṣamāṇaiś ca vājibhiḥ | bherī-śaṅkha-ninādaiś ca tumulaṃ samapadyata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: As mighty elephants trumpeted, horses neighed, and the blare of kettledrums and conches rose together, the battlefield was engulfed in a terrifying uproar—an audible sign that the armies had fully committed themselves to the coming violence of war.

Word by Word

नदद्भिःby roaring

हरिष्णैःby neighing (horses)

महानागैःby great elephants

ह्नेषमाणैःby neighing

वाजिभिःby horses

भेरीशङ्खनिनादैःby the sounds of kettle-drums and conches

चand

तुमुलम्tumultuous, terrible

समपद्यतarose, came to be

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

mahānāga (war-elephants)

vāji (horses)

bherī (war-drums)

śaṅkha (conches)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how collective human resolve toward conflict manifests outwardly as overwhelming noise and agitation; it frames war not as abstract strategy but as a morally weighty, all-consuming reality that engulfs everyone present.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere: elephants trumpet, horses neigh, and drums and conches sound together, creating a terrifying din that signals the armies’ mobilization and the imminent clash.