Shloka 73
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
तस्य तं॑ निनदं श्रुत्वा दृष्टवा नागांश्व युध्यत:
tasya taṁ ninadaṁ śrutvā dṛṣṭvā nāgāṁś ca yudhyataḥ
Sañjaya said: Hearing that thunderous roar and seeing the elephants locked in combat, the scene of battle surged forward with renewed intensity—an ominous sign of the war’s escalating force and the warriors’ unyielding resolve.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how sensory signs—especially the terrifying roar and the sight of elephants battling—intensify the moral and emotional pressure of war, revealing the momentum of conflict and the hardening of resolve that can carry warriors beyond hesitation.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a great roar is heard and elephants are seen fighting; it is a vivid battlefield snapshot indicating that the engagement has become fierce and fully underway.