Shloka 15
ज्यातलत्रधनु:शब्द: कुछ्जराणां च बृंहताम् | पादातानां च पततां नृणां नादो महानभूत्,प्रत्यंचा, हस्तत्राण और धनुषका शब्द, चिग्घाड़ते हुए हाथियोंकी आवाज तथा रणभूमिमें गिरते हुए पैदल मनुष्योंके महान् आर्तनादकी तुमुल ध्वनि वहाँ गूँजने लगी
jyātalatra-dhanuḥ-śabdaḥ kuñjarāṇāṃ ca bṛṃhatām | pādātānāṃ ca patatāṃ nṛṇāṃ nādo mahān abhūt ||
Sañjaya said: “There arose a tremendous din— the twang of bowstrings and the sound of bows, the loud trumpeting of great elephants, and the mighty cries of foot-soldiers as they fell upon the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a stark ethical backdrop to war: beyond heroism and strategy, battle is defined by overwhelming noise, fear, and the suffering of living beings. It implicitly underscores the gravity of kṣatriya warfare and the human (and animal) cost that accompanies it.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the intensifying combat: the twang of bowstrings, the clatter of weapons and gear, elephants trumpeting, and the loud cries of foot-soldiers falling in the fight—together forming a tremendous battlefield tumult.