Shloka 2
तस्य तं॑ तुमुलं शब्दं श्रुत्वा कुउजरकम्पनम् | तावकानां महाराज भयमासीत् सुदारुणम्,महाराज! उसकी वह भयंकर गर्जना हाथियोंको भी कँपा देनेवाली थी। उसे सुनकर आपके योद्धाओंके मनमें अत्यन्त दारुण भय समा गया
tasya taṁ tumulaṁ śabdaṁ śrutvā kuñjarakampanam | tāvakānāṁ mahārāja bhayam āsīt sudāruṇam ||
Sañjaya said: Hearing that tumultuous roar—so dreadful that it made even the elephants tremble—your warriors, O King, were seized by an exceedingly terrible fear. The sound itself becomes a moral sign in the battle: when courage collapses into panic, the army’s resolve and discernment are shaken, and the tide of war turns through the mind before it turns through weapons.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear spreads through perception: a single overwhelming sound can break collective morale. Ethically, it suggests that inner steadiness and discernment are decisive in war—panic weakens judgment and makes an army vulnerable even before physical defeat.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a terrifying roar has been heard—so powerful it shakes elephants—and that, upon hearing it, the Kaurava forces are gripped by intense fear.