Shloka 91
भरतनन्दन! वहाँ एकत्र हुए सम्पूर्ण जगत्के वीर पृथक्-पृथक् शंखध्वनि करने लगे। वीर श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनने तथा शल्य और कर्णने भी अपना-अपना शंख बजाया ।। तद् भीरुसंत्रासकरं युद्ध समभवत्तदा । अन्योन्यस्पर्थिनोरुग्रं शक्रशम्बरयोरिव
bharatanandana! tatra ekatra huye samasta jagat-ke vīraḥ pṛthak-pṛthak śaṅkha-dhvaniṃ kartuṃ pracakramuḥ. vīraḥ śrīkṛṣṇaḥ arjunaś ca tathā śalyaḥ karṇaś ca api sva-sva-śaṅkhaṃ vādayām āsuḥ. tad bhīru-saṃtrāsa-karaṃ yuddhaṃ samabhavat tadā, anyonya-spardhinor ugraṃ śakra-śambarayor iva.
Sanjaya said: “O descendant of Bharata, there the heroes assembled from the whole world began sounding their conches, each in his own way. Valiant Krishna and Arjuna, and likewise Shalya and Karna, each blew his own conch. Then the battle arose—terrifying to the timid—fierce with mutual rivalry, like the dreadful combat between Indra and Shambara.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war is driven by competitive pride and mutual rivalry; its outward signals (like conch-blasts) can inflame courage in some while producing fear in others. Ethically, it underscores the grave psychological and moral weight of battle even among renowned heroes.
As the armies gather, warriors on both sides sound their conches. Krishna and Arjuna do so for the Pāṇḍavas, while Shalya and Karna do so for the Kauravas. The battle then erupts, described as terrifying and intensely competitive, compared to the mythic clash of Indra and Śambara.