Chapter I · Śloka 13
Sañjaya uvāca
ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः |
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ||
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ||
tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca paṇavānaka-gomukhāḥ |
sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat ||
sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat ||
Thereupon conches, kettledrums, tabors, trumpets, and cow-horns suddenly blared forth, and the sound was tumultuous.
A wave of martial noise floods the plain — each instrument adding its voice to a single roar of war. The sound is tumultuous, overwhelming: it is the last moment before the world as Arjuna knew it ceases to exist.