ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः ।सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ॥
tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca paṇavānakagomukhāḥ |sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdas tumulo 'bhavat ||
- ततः · tataḥ
- then, thereupon
- शङ्खाः · śaṅkhāḥ
- conches
- च · ca
- and
- भेर्यः · bheryaḥ
- kettledrums
- पणवानकगोमुखाः · paṇavānakagomukhāḥ
- tabors, drums, and cow-horns
- सहसा · sahasā
- suddenly, all at once
- एव · eva
- indeed
- अभ्यहन्यन्त · abhyahanyanta
- were sounded, beaten
- सः · saḥ
- that
- शब्दः · śabdaḥ
- sound, din
- तुमुलः · tumulaḥ
- tumultuous, deafening
- अभवत् · abhavat
- became, was
“Then conches, kettledrums, tabors, drums, and cow-horns blared out all at once, and the din was tumultuous.”
— Original plain-language translation
The Kaurava war-music answers Bhishma — a wall of martial noise. The epic stages sound itself as a weapon: before arrows, armies duel with din.
— Reader's notes (original)