Shloka 4
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
वादित्राणां च निनद:ः प्रादुरासीद् विशाम्पते । आयोधनार्थ योधानां बलानां चाप्युदीर्यताम्,प्रजानाथ!| उस समय सब ओरसे भाँति-भाँतिके वाद्योंकी गम्भीर ध्वनि प्रकट होने लगी। युद्धके लिये उद्यत योद्धाओं और आगे बढ़ती हुई सेनाओंका महान् कोलाहल सुनायी देने लगा
sañjaya uvāca | vāditrāṇāṃ ca ninādaḥ prādurāsīd viśāṃpate | āyodhanārthaṃ yodhānāṃ balānāṃ cāpy udīryatām, prajānātha |
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, the deep roar of many kinds of musical instruments suddenly arose on every side. Along with it was heard the great tumult of warriors ready for battle and of armies surging forward for the fight.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inevitability and momentum of war once collective forces are set in motion: the instruments, warriors, and armies together create an overwhelming surge. Ethically, it frames the king’s responsibility—he must recognize how decisions and attachments culminate in large-scale violence that becomes difficult to restrain.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battlefield has come alive with the booming sounds of war instruments and the loud commotion of fighters and advancing troops, indicating that the armies are fully mobilized and battle is imminent.