Bhagavad Gita · Arjuna Vishada YogaChapter 1, Shloka 13 (1.13)
Original Sanskrit · सञ्जयः
ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत्
॥ 1.13 ॥
tataḥ śaṅkhāśca bheryaśca paṇavānakagomukhāḥ
sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdastumulo'bhavat
Translation
"Then conches, kettledrums, tabors, drums and cow-horns all sounded at once — and that sound became a tremendous uproar."
Interpretation
From one person to the whole army. One conch from Bhishma — and the instruments of the whole Kaurava army rang out "sahasaiva" (in that very instant). As soon as the commander gives the signal, the group comes alive. This shows how a single act of leadership can change the mood of an entire group.
"Sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat" — the sound became tremendous. Sanjaya describes the intensity of the sound, but says nothing about its effect. Madhusudana Sarasvati catches a subtle point here: the sound was tremendous, yet it caused no panic among the Pandavas — that is the intended sense. Compare this with 1.19, where it is said clearly of the Pandavas' conch-blast that it tore through the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra. Sanjaya's account places the sounds of the two sides side by side, with different effects.
Noise and strength. The Kaurava army is large, its instruments many, the noise great. But an army's resolve is not measured by the amount of noise. This will become clearer in the shlokas that follow.
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.