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Bhagavad-gītā 1.13

ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः । सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ॥ १३ ॥
tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca
[tatah shankhaash cha bheryash cha]
paṇavānaka-gomukhāḥ
[panavaanaka-gomukhaah]
sahasaivābhyahanyanta
[sahasaivaabhyahanyanta]
sa śabdas tumulo ’bhavat
[sa shabdas tumulo ’bhavat]
Word-for-word
tataḥ — thereafter śaṅkhāḥ — conchshells ca — also bheryaḥ — large drums ca — and paṇava - ānaka — small drums and kettledrums go - mukhāḥ — horns sahasā — all of a sudden eva — certainly abhyahanyanta — were simultaneously sounded saḥ — that śabdaḥ — combined sound tumulaḥ — tumultuous abhavat — became .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tataḥ śaṅkhāś ca bheryaś ca
tataḥ
thereafter
śaṅkhāḥ
conchshells
ca
also
bheryaḥ
large drums
ca
and
paṇavānaka-gomukhāḥ
paṇava - ānaka
small drums and kettledrums
go - mukhāḥ
horns
sahasaivābhyahanyanta
sahasā
all of a sudden
eva
certainly
abhyahanyanta
were simultaneously sounded
sa śabdas tumulo ’bhavat
saḥ
that
śabdaḥ
combined sound
tumulaḥ
tumultuous
abhavat
became .
Important Words
  • śaṅkhāḥ — conchshells
    Plural now — many conches answer the one. The verse expands from Bhīṣma's solitary *siṁha-nāda* (v.12) to a chorus. Each conch is a small Vaiṣṇu-symbol in a kṣatriya hand. Vyāsa is layering Vaiṣṇava iconography even on the unrighteous side.
  • bheryaḥ — large drums
    *Bherī* — the war-drum, used in Vedic processions and royal anointments. The drum names the formal status of the assembly: this is not a brawl but a sacrificial event. The Kurukṣetra war was understood by both sides as a *yajña* — a sacrifice of warriors.
  • paṇava - ānaka — small drums and kettledrums
    *Paṇava* (small two-headed drum) + *ānaka* (kettledrum). The full instrumentation of a royal procession. Vyāsa lists them precisely because the war is being staged with full Vedic protocol — no detail of ritual is being skipped, however much dharma is being violated.
  • tumulaḥ — tumultuous
    Same root underlying English *tumult*. The compound sound is so dense it cannot be parsed into separate instruments — it has become a single roaring mass. The chapter is building, sonically, toward Arjuna's collapse: the louder the sound, the heavier the silence after it (v.46).
After that, the conchshells, drums, bugles, trumpets and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.
Classical Sanskrit analysis शास्त्रीय विश्लेषण
How Sanskrit scholars read this verse — split, rearranged, grammar-tagged. For the plain English distilled meaning, jump to Plain meaning below.
Auto-generated study layers — original analysis of the public-domain śloka. Review against a published edition for academic work.
Plain meaning (तात्पर्य · Tātparya)
The Kaurava warriors answer Bhīṣma's lead with an explosion of war-music — conchs, drums, and trumpets sounding at once. Sañjaya conveys the chaos with the word 'tumulaḥ': the battlefield's voice has begun, and there will be no turning back.
Further notes (विवरण · Vivaraṇa)
Five named instruments: śaṅkha (conch), bherī (kettledrum), paṇava (small drum), ānaka (large war-drum), and go-mukha (literally 'cow-mouth', a curved horn trumpet). The cluster paṇava-ānaka-gomukha is a samāhāra dvandva (single neuter sense would be possible, but the pl.m. agreeing with abhyahanyanta treats them as iterative dvandva). Tumula often describes battle-roar in epic — onomatopoeic for the muddled din.
Prose order (अन्वय · Anvaya)
ततः शङ्खाः च भेर्यः च पणव-आनक-गोमुखाः सहसा एव अभ्यहन्यन्त; सः शब्दः तुमुलः अभवत् ।
tataḥ śaṅkhāḥ ca bheryaḥ ca paṇava-ānaka-gomukhāḥ sahasā eva abhyahanyanta; saḥ śabdaḥ tumulaḥ abhavat |
Then conchs, kettledrums, tabors, war-drums, and cow-horn trumpets were suddenly struck up; the resulting sound was tumultuous.
Word split (पदच्छेद · Padaccheda)
ततः शङ्खाः च भेर्यः च पणव-आनक-गोमुखाः । सहसा एव अभ्यहन्यन्त सः शब्दः तुमुलः अभवत् ॥
tataḥ śaṅkhāḥ ca bheryaḥ ca paṇava-ānaka-gomukhāḥ | sahasā eva abhyahanyanta saḥ śabdaḥ tumulaḥ abhavat ||
Grammar (व्याकरण · Vyākaraṇa)
SanskritIASTGrammarMeaning
ततः tataḥ ind. (indeclinable) thereupon
शङ्खाः śaṅkhāḥ शङ्ख (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural) conchs
च ca ind. (indeclinable) and
भेर्यः bheryaḥ भेरी (f.) nom.pl. (nominative plural) kettledrums
पणव-आनक-गोमुखाः paṇava-ānaka-gomukhāḥ पणव (m.) + आनक (m.) + गोमुख (m.) nom.pl. (nominative plural), dvandva cpd. (compound) tabors, war-drums, cow-mouth trumpets
सहसा sahasā ind. (indeclinable) suddenly
एव eva ind. (indeclinable), emphatic
अभ्यहन्यन्त abhyahanyanta अभि+√हन् impf. (imperfect) pass. (passive) 3pl. were struck
सः saḥ तद् dem. (demonstrative) pron. (pronoun) nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. that
शब्दः śabdaḥ शब्द (m.) nom.sg. (nominative singular) sound
तुमुलः tumulaḥ तुमुल adj. nom.sg. (nominative singular)m. tumultuous, uproarious
अभवत् abhavat √भू impf. (imperfect) 3sg.par. (parasmaipada / active voice) became
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
13. Then conches, kettle drums, small drums, and larger drums were suddenly sounded, making a tumultuous roar.
Commentary

Both sides became eager to fight. This is described in this verse. Paṇava is a type of drum. Ānaka is a kettle drum. Gomukha is a type of trumpet.

Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa Gauḍīya
Translation
13. Then conches, kettle drums, small drums, and larger drums were suddenly sounded, making a tumultuous roar.
Commentary

When Bhīṣma blew his conch, at that time, in his army, suddenly instruments and conches began to sound. Abhyahanyanta is a reflexive passive, literally meaning “the instruments were sounded by themselves” or “the instruments made sounds.” Paṇava, ānaka, and gomukha are types of instruments. The sound was very great since the instruments sounded all at once.

Study Notes — Gauranga Priya Dāsa
Gauranga Priya Dāsa Study
Bhakti-śāstrī Notes, ISKCON Chowpatty (2009)
Theme

COMMON THEME: All Pandavas blew conchshells and all other instruments that made a tumultuous sound

NAMES OF DIFFERENT CONCHSHELLS: S. No

Warriors

Conchshell

1.

Krishna

Panchajanya

2.

Arjuna

Devadatta

3.

Yudhishtara

Anantavijaya

4.

Bhima

Paundra

5.

Nakula

Sughosa

6.

Sahadeva

Manipushpaka

PLEASE NOTE: Text 1.13 has no purport. Text 1.14 purport is covered under the main theme ‘Signs of Victory of

Pandavas’ above. Purports for Texts 1.15 to 1.18 are presented in the ‘Focus of Learning’ sections below

Focus of Learning

(a) Sanjaya very tactfully informed King Dhrtarashtra of the following points through all the above

mentioned verses:

His unwise policy of deceiving the sons of Pandu and endeavoring to enthrone his own sons was not very laudable
All the signs indicate that the whole Kuru dynasty would be killed
From the grandsire Bhisma to the grandson Abhimanyu, and all the kings of all states were doomed
And Dhrtarashtra was the cause of the whole catastrophe because he encouraged the policy followed by his sons

(a) Message announced by conchshells – Blowing of conchshells announced the message that

Kauravas were predestined to lose the battle

(b) Importance of names

Hrsikesha
Owner of all senses / senses of living entities are part and parcels of His senses

▪ Impersonalists cannot account for the senses of the living entities and they are

always anxious to describe the living entities as sense-less or impersonal

Lord as Paramatma directs the senses according to the surrender of the living entity
Directly controls transcendental senses of a pure devotee like Arjuna
Govinda – Pleasure-giver to cows and senses
Dhananjaya – Arjuna helped elder brother to fetch wealth for different sacrifices
Vrkodara – Eat as voraciously as he could do herculean tasks (Bhima)
Few other names explained – Madhusudana / Vasudeva / Devaki-nandana / Yasoda-nandana / Partha-sarthy (Read 1.15 purport)
Classical Ācāryas
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya Classical
Translation
1.13 Sri Sankaracharya did not comment on this sloka. The commentary starts from 2.10.
Śrī Rāmānujācārya Classical
Translation
1.1 - 1.19 Dhrtarastra said - Sanjaya said Duryodhana, after viewing the forces of Pandavas protected by Bhima, and his own forces protected by Bhisma conveyed his views thus to Drona, his teacher, about the adeacy of Bhima's forces for conering the Kaurava forces and the inadeacy of his own forces for victory against the Pandava forces. He was grief-stricken within. Observing his (Duryodhana's) despondecny, Bhisma, in order to cheer him, roared like a lion, and then blowing his conch, made his side sound their conchs and kettle-drums, which made an uproar as a sign of victory. Then, having heard that great tumult, Arjuna and Sri Krsna the Lord of all lords, who was acting as the charioteer of Arjuna, sitting in their great chariot which was powerful enough to coner the three worlds; blew their divine conchs Srimad Pancajanya and Devadatta. Then, both Yudhisthira and Bhima blew their respective conchs separately. That tumult rent asunder the hearts of your sons, led by Duryodhana. The sons of Dhrtarastra then thought, 'Our cause is almost lost now itself.' So said Sanjaya to Dhrtarastra who was longing for their victory. Sanjaya said to Dhrtarastra: Then, seeing the Kauravas, who were ready for battle, Arjuna, who had Hanuman, noted for his exploit of burning Lanka, as the emblem on his flag on his chariot, directed his charioteer Sri Krsna, the Supreme Lord-who is overcome by parental love for those who take shelter in Him who is the treasure-house of knowledge, power, lordship, energy, potency and splendour, whose sportive delight brings about the origin, sustentation and dissolution of the entire cosmos at His will, who is the Lord of the senses, who controls in all ways the senses inner and outer of all, superior and inferior - by saying, 'Station my chariot in an appropriate place in order that I may see exactly my enemies who are eager for battle.'
Śrī Abhinavagupta Classical
Translation
1.12 1.29 Sri Abhinavgupta did not comment upon this sloka.
Swami Sivananda Classical
Translation
1.13. Then (following Bhishma), conches and kettledrums, tabors, drums and cow horns blared forth ite suddenly (from the Kaurava side) and the sound was tremendous.
Commentary

1.13 ततः then शङ्खाः conches? च and? भेर्यः kettledrums? च and? पणवानकगोमुखाः tabors? drums and cowhorns? सहसा एव ite suddenly? अभ्यहन्यन्त blared forth? सः that? शब्दः sound? तुमुलः tremendous? अभवत् was.No Commentary.

Swami Gambhīrānanda Classical
Translation
1.13 Just immediately after that conchs and kettledrums, and tabors, trumpets and cow-horns blared forth. That sound became tumultuous.
Shri Purohit Swami Classical
Translation
1.13 And immediately all the conches and drums, the trumpets and horns, blared forth in tumultuous uproar.
Related values & verses
Related verses
BG 1.12 BG 1.19 BG 11.26 SB 1.11.2 SB 10.3.1 SB 3.15.19 CC Ādi 7.25 CC Madhya 11.218 CC Antya 1.117 Chāndogya Upaniṣad 2.23.1Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.3.22
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
When dharma sounds, the whole field responds — the cosmos reverberates with the announcement of righteous action.
Practical Applications
  • Begin gatherings with the chanting of Kṛṣṇa's names — let the sound vibration set the field.
  • Notice how a single sincere chant in the morning shifts the texture of your whole day.
  • Be willing to be the one who breaks the silence with Hare Kṛṣṇa when no one else will.
Reflection Questions
  • What sound vibrations dominate my mornings — devotional or distracting?
  • Am I willing to be the first conch in a room full of hesitation?
Analogy

When one conch is answered by every conch, drum, and horn of an army, it is no longer a signal — it is a single body proving it can still move. The thunder is less an announcement than a self-test. Duryodhana's side answers Bhīṣma with sound because silence after the grandsire's roar would have been unbearable.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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