Shloka 39

Devanagari script

धूल मेघोंकी घटा-सी छा गयी। उसमें अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी चमक बिजलीकी प्रभाके समान व्याप्त हो रही थी, धनुषोंकी टंकारध्वनि अत्यन्त भयंकर प्रतीत होने लगी ।। बाणशड्खप्रणादाश्न भेरीणां च महास्वना: । रथघोषश्न संजज्ञे सेनयोरुभयोरपि,बाणों, शंखों तथा भेरियोंके सम्मिलित शब्द जोर-जोरसे सुनायी देने लगे। साथ ही दोनों सेनाओंमें रथोंकी घरघराहट भी दूरतक फैलने लगी

Transliteration

bāṇaśaṅkhapraṇādāś ca bherīṇāṃ ca mahāsvanāḥ | rathaghoṣaś ca saṃjajñe senayor ubhayor api ||

Translation

സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ധൂളിമേഘങ്ങളുടെ ഘടപോലെ യുദ്ധഭൂമി മൂടപ്പെട്ടു; അതിനുള്ളിൽ ശസ്ത്രങ്ങളുടെ മിന്നൽ വൈദ്യുതപ്രഭപോലെ പടർന്നു. ബാണങ്ങൾ, ശംഖങ്ങൾ, ഭേരികൾ എന്നിവയുടെ മഹാനാദം ഒരുമിച്ച് ഉയർന്നു; ഇരുസേനകളിലും രഥങ്ങളുടെ ഗർജ്ജനവും പടർന്നു.

Word by Word

बाणarrows

शङ्खconch(-shells)

प्रणादाःroars/sounds

चand

भेरीणाम्of kettle-drums

चand

महास्वनाःgreat-sounding/very loud (ones)

रथघोषःthe din/rumble of chariots

चand

संजज्ञेarose/occurred

सेनयोःof the two armies

उभयोःof both

अपिalso/even

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

both armies (Pāṇḍava and Kaurava forces)

arrows

conches

kettledrums (bherīs)

chariots

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights how collective violence gathers momentum through signals, instruments, and weaponry. Ethically, it frames war as an overwhelming force—audible and inescapable—reminding the listener that once conflict is unleashed, it engulfs all sides alike.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the battle has fully surged: arrows hiss, conches blare, drums thunder, and chariots rumble across both armies. The scene conveys the immediate escalation into large-scale combat.