ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः |
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ||
Meaning
After this, conches and kettledrums, tabors, drums and cow horns were sounded and their combined sound was so loud that it reached the sky.
Word to Word Meaning
ततः – after this
शङ्खाश्च – conches and
भेर्यश्च – drums and
पणवानकगोमुखाः – big and small drums and gomukha (musical instrument)
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त – all of a sudden were played
स – they
शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् – blew very loud and their sounds reached the sky
Widely Accepted Interpretations
- After Bhishma has blown his conch shell, other members of Kaurav’s army also sound their conches, kettledrums, tabors, drums and cow horns. The collective sound is said to be very loud here, so much that it reached the sky.
- Various soldiers, warriors, charioteers blowing horns together depict that war is a collective effort. This has been depicted numerous time till now.
- Various soldiers playing various sounds at the same time also depict the chaos of the battleground.
- This also shows the amount of respect that Bhishma commanded in the army. Kaurav’s army acknowledged Bhishma’s conch shell which he has blown before. This shows amount of respect that Bhishma commanded in the army and the amount of commitment that army had towards Bhishma, that they were also ready to fight his war and give-up their lives.