Shloka 15
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
ज्यातलत्रधनु:शब्द: कुछ्जराणां च बृंहताम् | पादातानां च पततां नृणां नादो महानभूत्
jyātalatra-dhanuḥ-śabdaḥ kuñjarāṇāṃ ca bṛṃhatām | pādātānāṃ ca patatāṃ nṛṇāṃ nādo mahān abhūt ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ergueu-se então um fragor tremendo — o estalo das cordas e o som dos arcos, o bramido estrondoso dos grandes elefantes e os gritos poderosos dos soldados de infantaria ao tombarem no campo de batalha; e esse tumulto ecoou por toda parte.”
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.