संजय उवाच
ततः शङ्खाश् च भेर्यश् च मृदङ्गाश् चानकैः सह ॥
प्रावाद्यन्त महाराज पाण्डवानां निवेशने ॥
सिंहनादश् च संजज्ञे पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम् ॥
धनुर्ज्यातलशब्दश् च गगनस्पृक् सुभैरवः ॥
तं श्रुत्वा शङ्खनिर्घोषं पाण्डवस्य महात्मनः ॥
त्वदीयेष्व् अप्य् अनीकेषु वादित्राण्य् अभिजघ्निरे ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca mṛdaṅgāś cānakaiḥ saha ||
prāvādyanta mahārāja pāṇḍavānāṃ niveśane ||
siṃhanādaś ca saṃjajñe pāṇḍavānāṃ mahātmanām ||
dhanurjyātalaśabdaś ca gaganaspṛk subhairavaḥ ||
taṃ śrutvā śaṅkhanirghoṣaṃ pāṇḍavasya mahātmanaḥ ||
tvadīyeṣv apy anīkeṣu vāditrāṇy abhijaghnire ||
Then conches, kettledrums, and mridangas together with anakas rang out, O great king, in the camp of the Pandavas. And a lion-cry arose among the great-souled Pandavas, and the sound of bowstrings and claps against the palm, reaching the heavens, striking terror. Upon hearing that roar of the conch of the great-souled Pandava [Yudhishthira], instruments burst forth among your own troops as well.
e00761be98e6 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:00:03 PM UTC
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Battle is announced by the din of conches and drums — the ritual voice of war, in which each side answers the other. But it is telling that the sounds of the Pandavas "reach the heavens" first, while the Kauravas only answer: truth raises its voice, falsehood echoes it. The verse teaches that in a clash, the one with firmness of spirit goes first; that even the fearsome noise of battle has its own order and rite; and that the echo by which falsehood answers the cry of truth is an involuntary admission of truth's priority — the one who echoes is already behind.