Shloka 226
वाद्यमानान्यराजन्त मेघशब्दो यथा दिवि । तदनन्तर सहस्रों तूर्य और कई सहस्र रणभेरियाँ बज उठीं, जो आकाशमें मेघोंकी गर्जनाके समान प्रतीत हो रही थीं
vādyamānāny arājanta meghaśabdo yathā divi |
Sañjaya said: The instruments being sounded resounded splendidly, like the rumbling of thunderclouds in the sky. Immediately thereafter, thousands of trumpets and many thousands of war-drums were struck, their roar seeming like the thunder of clouds—an ominous swell of martial fervor that signals the army’s collective resolve and the impending violence of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily heightens the ethical gravity of war: the thunder-like roar of instruments symbolizes collective human will moving toward violence, reminding the listener that mass enthusiasm can magnify the consequences of adharma or dharma depending on the cause being served.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield soundscape: war-instruments are played in great numbers—trumpets and war-drums—whose booming resonance is compared to thunder in the sky, marking the escalation toward combat.