शड्खभेरीमृदड्नां कुञ्जराणां च गर्जताम् । विस्फारितविकृष्टानां कार्मुकाणां च कूजताम्
śaṅkhabherīmṛdaṅgānāṃ kuñjarāṇāṃ ca garjatām | visphāritavikṛṣṭānāṃ kārmukāṇāṃ ca kūjatām
शङ्खभेरीमृदङ्गानां कुञ्जराणां च गर्जताम् । विस्फारितविकृष्टानां कार्मुकाणां च कूजताम् ॥
संजय उवाच
The verse does not state a direct moral injunction; it heightens the ethical gravity of war by foregrounding its sensory reality—martial instruments, roaring elephants, and drawn bows—reminding the listener that decisions in dharma-yuddha unfold amid fear, force, and irreversible consequences.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield’s rising tumult: conches and drums are sounded, elephants roar, and bows—stretched and drawn—emit their sharp twang, signaling readiness and the imminent clash of forces in the Drona Parva sequence.