Shloka 203
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
खुरशब्दनिपातैश्न तुमुल: सर्वतो5भवत् । राजेन्द्र! तदनन्तर सारी सेनाओंमें रणभेरीकी भारी आवाज, मृदंगोंकी ध्वनि, हाथियोंके चिग्घाड़ने, घोड़ोंके हिनहिनाने और धरतीपर उनकी टाप पड़नेसे चारों ओर अत्यन्त भयंकर शब्द गूँजने लगा
khuraśabdanipātaiś ca tumulaḥ sarvato 'bhavat | rājendra! tad-anantaraṃ sarī-senāsu raṇabherīṇāṃ bhārī nādaḥ, mṛdaṅgānāṃ dhvaniḥ, hastināṃ cighghāṭanam, aśvānāṃ hinhinānam, pṛthivyāṃ ca teṣāṃ ṭāpa-patanena caturdiśam atyanta-bhayaṅkaraḥ śabdaḥ pratidhvanitum ārabdhaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja di atas para raja, ketika derap kuku kuda menghantam tanah, hiruk-pikuk pun bangkit dari segala arah. Lalu, di seluruh bala tentara, bunyi dalam genderang perang, dentang kettledrum, tabuhan mṛdaṅga, terompet gajah, ringkik kuda, dan hentakan kuku mereka menimbulkan gemuruh yang amat mengerikan ke segala penjuru.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity and collective momentum of war: once armies move, violence becomes a self-amplifying force, signaled by overwhelming sound. It implicitly warns that adharma-driven conflict quickly grows beyond individual control, engulfing all directions and minds.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after the armies surge forward, the battlefield erupts in a terrifying cacophony—war-drums, mṛdaṅgas, elephants’ trumpeting, horses’ neighing, and the pounding of hooves—creating a tumult heard everywhere.