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“The war announces itself before the first blow.”
Then conches, kettledrums, drums, and trumpets burst forth at once. Their sound became thunderous.
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap a word to focus on it.
Read literallythen · conches · and · kettledrums · and · small drums and trumpets · all at once · were struck · that · sound · tumultuous · became
Conches, drums, and trumpets all sounded together, and the noise became overwhelming.
Sanjaya speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Arjuna Vishada Yoga" (The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair).
Verse 13 sits in Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita — Arjuna Vishada Yoga, "The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair". The chapter has 47 verses in total.
At a wedding baraat, one drum starts and within seconds the whole band is going. Sanjaya's line catches that moment on the Kaurava side, when one signal sets off every instrument at once.
Did you like this verse?
After Bhishma's conch, the whole Kaurava side joins in with drums, kettledrums and trumpets at once.
What this verse means
Conches, drums, and trumpets all sounded together, and the noise became overwhelming.
Context & commentary
After Bhishma's conch, the Kaurava side answers with a sudden roar of instruments. The battlefield fills with noise before the first arrows fly, building the tension that leads into Krishna and Arjuna sounding their own conches.
What it looks like today
At a wedding baraat, one drum starts and within seconds the whole band is going. Sanjaya's line catches that moment on the Kaurava side, when one signal sets off every instrument at once.
“The battlefield is no longer quiet. The clash of war has begun to announce itself.”
Explore related themes: kurukshetra (95 verses)