Shloka 48
स शब्दस्तुमुल: खं द्यां पृथिवीं च व्यनादयत् । सबने प्रसन्न होकर रणभेरियाँ बजायीं, सहस्रों डंके पीटे, घोड़ोंकी टापों और रथोंके पहियोंसे पीड़ित हुई रणभूमि मानो आर्तनाद करने लगी। वह तुमुल ध्वनि आकाश, अन्तरिक्ष और भूतलको गुँजाने लगी ।। तं शब्दं पाण्डवा: श्रुत्वा पर्जन्यनिनदोपमम्
sa śabdas tumulaḥ khaṃ dyāṃ pṛthivīṃ ca vyanādayat | sabne prasanna hokara raṇabheriyāṃ bajāyīṃ, sahasroṃ ḍaṃke pīṭe, ghoṛoṃ kī ṭāpoṃ aur rathoṃ ke pahiyoṃ se pīḍita huī raṇabhūmi māno ārtanāda karane lagī | sa tumula dhvani ākāśa, antarikṣa aur bhūtala ko guṃjāne lagī || taṃ śabdaṃ pāṇḍavāḥ śrutvā parjanya-ninadopamam ||
Sanjaya said: That tumultuous roar resounded through the sky, the heavens, and the earth. With hearts lifted, the warriors sounded the war-drums; thousands of kettledrums were beaten. The battlefield—crushed by the pounding of horses’ hooves and the grinding of chariot wheels—seemed to cry out in pain. That thunderous din made the firmament, the mid-region, and the ground itself reverberate. Hearing that sound, like the rumble of rain-bearing clouds, the Pāṇḍavas took note of the enemy’s martial fervor and the gathering intensity of the conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: collective excitement and martial display can drown the world in noise, yet the earth itself is portrayed as suffering. The imagery implicitly cautions that triumphal fervor carries a cost borne by living beings and the very ground of battle.
Sanjaya reports a massive surge of battle-noise—war-drums and countless drums, along with the pounding of horses and chariots—so intense that it seems to make the sky, mid-air, and earth reverberate. The Pāṇḍavas hear this thunder-like din, signaling the enemy’s readiness and the intensifying clash.