Shloka 47
भेरीक्षाभ्यहनन् हृष्टा डिण्डिमांश्न सहस्रश: । तथा ननाद वसुधा खुरनेमिप्रपीडिता
bherīkṣābhyahanan hṛṣṭā ḍiṇḍimāṁś ca sahasraśaḥ | tathā nanāda vasudhā khuranemiprapīḍitā ||
Sañjaya said: Exultant warriors struck the great war-drums and kettledrums in their thousands; and the very earth resounded, pressed down by the pounding hooves and the rims of chariot-wheels—an ominous proclamation of battle’s vast, collective violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective excitement in war can mask its moral weight: the jubilant beating of drums contrasts with the earth itself groaning under hooves and wheels, suggesting that large-scale violence leaves a palpable imprint on the world and should be approached with ethical sobriety.
Sañjaya reports the battlefield’s escalation: thousands of drums are beaten as troops surge forward, and the ground reverberates from the movement of horses and chariots, signaling the onset or intensification of combat.