तत: शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखा: |
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् || 13||
tataḥ śhaṅkhāśhcha bheryaśhcha paṇavānaka-gomukhāḥ
sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śhabdastumulo ’bhavat
English Translation: Thereafter, conches, kettledrums, bugles, trumpets, and horns suddenly blared forth, and their combined sound was overwhelming.
A Cacophonous Crescendo of War
As the haunting bellow of Bhishma’s conch shell faded across the battlefield, an eerie hush momentarily descended. But it was a fleeting calm before a tumultuous storm erupted in full force. For the venerated patriarch’s resonant call had ignited an inferno of martial fervor that swiftly engulfed the Kaurava ranks.
A Symphony of Warfare
What commenced next could only be described as a cacophonous crescendo heralding the brutalities of war:
- Conches (śhaṅkhāḥ): Their distinctive, piercing blasts reverberated like primal war cries of ancient battles. As if awakening from a deep slumber, these hollowed instruments unleashed their timeless notes in a dissonant chorus.
- Kettledrums (ānak): Booming thunderously, the percussive roars of the massive ānak drums pounded an ominous cadence that resonated in the warrior’s very bones. Their rhythmic battering was the merciless heartbeat of the coming bloodshed.
- Bugles (bherya): Shrill and piercing, the brass bugles unleashed a clarion call to arms that sliced through all other sounds with their high-pitched keening wails.
- Trumpets (paṇavāḥ): Joining the fray, powerful paṇav trumpets added their regal voices to the auditory onslaught, their sonorous blaring a declaration of the Kaurava’s regal might.
- Horns (go-mukha): And finally, like the bellowing war-cries of some ancient behemoths awakening from primordial slumbers, the resonant go-mukha horns thundered across the battlefield in a bone-chilling chorus.
Instrument Description Conches (śhaṅkhāḥ)Piercing blasts like primal war criesKettledrums (ānak)Booming percussion - the heartbeat of bloodshedBugles (bherya)Shrill brass calls to armsTrumpets (paṇavāḥ)Sonorous declarations of regal mightHorns (go-mukha)Bone-chilling bellows of ancient behemoths
A Deafening Overture
As each of these instruments joined the swelling chorus, their combined cacophony swiftly became overwhelming (tumulo ‘bhavat). What began as an organized overture rapidly descended into a deafening, discordant pandemonium that reverberated across the battlefield.
It was as if the very forces of cosmic warfare had awakened, screaming their ominous arrival through this symphony of chaos and bloodlust. Like an unstoppable tidal wave, the rising bedlam drowned out all other sounds, consuming the silence with a roaring fervor that could herald only one inevitability – total, apocalyptic conflict.