शड्खदुन्दुभिघोषश्न वारणानां च बंंहितै: । सिंहनादश्न सैन्यानां दारुग: समपद्यत,शंखों और दुन्दुभियोंका गम्भीर घोष तथा हाथियोंकी गर्जनाके साथ सैनिकोंका सिंहनाद बड़ा भयंकर जान पड़ता था
saṅkhadundubhighoṣaś ca vāraṇānāṃ ca bṛṃhitaiḥ | siṃhanādaś ca sainyānāṃ dāruṇaḥ samapadyata ||
Sañjaya said: The deep blare of conches and kettle-drums, the trumpeting of elephants, and the lion-like roar of the troops all rose together, creating a terrifying din—an omen of the war’s fierce momentum and the human cost about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores how war announces itself through overwhelming collective force—signals, beasts, and human cries—reminding the listener that martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) unfolds amid fearsome conditions and grave consequences.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield at Kurukṣetra as the armies sound conches and drums, elephants trumpet, and soldiers roar; the combined noise becomes dreadful, marking the escalation toward open combat.