Shloka 5
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
ततः: शड्खसहस्राणां नि:स्वनो हृदयड्भम: । प्रादुरासीदुभयतो भेरीशब्दश्ष॒ दारुण:
tataḥ śaṅkha-sahasrāṇāṁ niḥsvano hṛdayaṅgamaḥ | prādurāsīd ubhayato bherī-śabdaś ca dāruṇaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, on both sides, there suddenly arose the reverberation of thousands of conches—so penetrating that it shook the heart—along with the harsh, dreadful booming of kettle-drums.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective martial signals—conches and drums—do more than announce action: they stir fear, courage, and inevitability in the heart, showing how external ritualized violence can overwhelm inner calm and propel people into escalating conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield soundscape: thousands of conches and the dreadful booming of war-drums erupt simultaneously from both armies, marking an intensification of the fighting and the charged emotional atmosphere.