TEXT 15
पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ।
पौण्डूं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ।। 15 ।।
pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣīkeśo
devadattaṁ dhanañ-jayaḥ
pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā-śaṅkhaṁ
bhīma-karmā vṛkodaraḥ
pāñcajanyam – the conchshell named Pāñcajanya; hṛṣīka-īśaḥ – Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa, the Lord who directs the senses of the devotees); devadattam – the conchshell named Devadatta; dhanam-jayaḥ – Dhanañjaya (Arjuna, the winner of wealth); pauṇḍram – the conch named Pauṇḍra; dadhmau – blew; mahā-śaṅkham – the terrific conchshell; bhīma-karmā – one who performs herculean tasks; vṛka-udaraḥ – the voracious eater (Bhīma).
Lord Kṛṣṇa blew His conchshell, called Pāñcajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhīma, the voracious eater and performer of herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell, called Pauṇḍra.
Lord Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Hṛṣīkeśa in this verse because He is the owner of all senses. The living entities are part and parcel of Him, and therefore the senses of the living entities are also part and parcel of His senses. The impersonalists cannot account for the senses of the living entities, and therefore they are always anxious to describe all living entities as senseless, or impersonal. The Lord, situated in the hearts of all living entities, directs their senses. But He directs in terms of the surrender of the living entity, and in the case of a pure devotee He directly controls the senses.
Here on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra the Lord directly controls the transcendental senses of Arjuna, and thus His particular name of Hṛṣīkeśa. The Lord has different names according to His different activities. For example, His name is Madhusūdana because He killed the demon of the name Madhu; His name is Govinda because He gives pleasure to the cows and to the senses; His name is Vāsudeva because He appeared as the son of Vasudeva; His name is Devakī-nandana because He accepted Devakī as His mother; His name is Yaśodā-nandana because He awarded His childhood pastimes to Yaśodā at Vṛndāvana; His name is Pārtha-sārathi because He worked as charioteer of His friend Arjuna. Similarly, His name is Hṛṣīkeśa because He gave direction to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.
Arjuna is referred to as Dhanañjaya in this verse because he helped his elder brother in fetching wealth when it was required by the king to make expenditures for different sacrifices. Similarly, Bhīma is known as Vṛkodara because he could eat as voraciously as he could perform herculean tasks, such as killing the demon Hiḍimba. So the particular types of conchshell blown by the different personalities on the side of the Pāṇḍavas, beginning with the Lord’s, were all very encouraging to the fighting soldiers. On the other side there were no such credits, nor the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme director, nor that of the goddess of fortune. So they were predestined to lose the battle – and that was the message announced by the sounds of the conchshells.
TEXTS 16–18
अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ।
नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ।। 16 ।।
काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः शिखण्डी च महारथः ।
धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ।। 17 ।।
द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते ।
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान् दध्मुः पुथक् पृथक् ।। 18 ।।
anantavijayaṁ rājā
kuntī-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ
nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca
sughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau
kāśyaś ca parameṣv-āsaḥ
śikhaṇḍī ca mahā-rathaḥ
dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaś ca
sātyakiś cāparājitaḥ
drupado draupadeyāś ca
sarvaśaḥ pṛthivī-pate
saubhadraś ca mahā-bāhuḥ
śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak
ananta-vijayam – the conch named Ananta-vijaya; rājā – the king; kuntī-putraḥ – the son of Kuntī; yudhiṣṭhiraḥ – Yudhiṣṭhira; nakulaḥ – Nakula; sahadevaḥ – Sahadeva; ca – and; sughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau – the conches named Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka; kāśyaḥ – the King of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī); ca – and; parama-iṣu-āsaḥ – the great archer; śikhaṇḍī – Śikhaṇḍī; ca – also; mahā-rathaḥ – one who can fight alone against thousands; dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ – Dhṛṣṭadyumna (the son of King Drupada); virāṭaḥ – Virāṭa (the prince who gave shelter to the Pāṇḍavas while they were in disguise); ca – also; sātyakiḥ – Sātyaki (the same as Yuyudhāna, the charioteer of Lord Kṛṣṇa); ca – and; aparājitaḥ – who had never been vanquished; drupadaḥ – Drupada, the King of Pāñcāla; draupadeyāḥ – the sons of Draupadī; ca – also; sarvaśaḥ – all; pṛthivī-pate – O King; saubhadraḥ – Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā; ca – also; mahā-bāhuḥ – mighty-armed; śaṅkhān – conchshells; dadhmuḥ – blew; pṛthak pṛthak – each separately.
King Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka. That great archer the King of Kāśī, the great fighter Śikhaṇḍī, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāṭa, the unconquerable Sātyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadī, and others, O King, such as the mighty-armed son of Subhadrā, all blew their respective conchshells.
Sañjaya informed King Dhṛtarāṣṭra very tactfully that his unwise policy of deceiving the sons of Pāṇḍu and endeavoring to enthrone his own sons on the seat of the kingdom was not very laudable. The signs already clearly indicated that the whole Kuru dynasty would be killed in that great battle. Beginning with the grandsire, Bhīṣma, down to the grandsons like Abhimanyu and others – including kings from many states of the world – all were present there, and all were doomed. The whole catastrophe was due to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, because he encouraged the policy followed by his sons.
TEXT 19
स घोषो धार्तराष्ट्राणां हृदयानि व्यदारयत् ।
नभश्च पृथिवीं चैव तुमुलो व्यनुनादयन् ।। 19 ।।
sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṁ
hṛdayāni vyadārayat
nabhaś ca pṛthivīṁ caiva
tumulo ’bhyanunādayan
saḥ – that; ghoṣaḥ – vibration; dhārtarāṣṭrāṇām – of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; hṛdayāni – hearts; vyadārayat – shattered; nabhaḥ – the sky; ca – also; pṛthivīm – the surface of the earth; ca – also; eva – certainly; tumulaḥ – uproarious; abhyanunādayan – resounding.
The blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious. Vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.
When Bhīṣma and the others on the side of Duryodhana blew their respective conchshells, there was no heart-breaking on the part of the Pāṇḍavas. Such occurrences are not mentioned, but in this particular verse it is mentioned that the hearts of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra were shattered by the sounds vibrated by the Pāṇḍavas’ party. This is due to the Pāṇḍavas and their confidence in Lord Kṛṣṇa. One who takes shelter of the Supreme Lord has nothing to fear, even in the midst of the greatest calamity.
TEXT 20
अथ व्यवस्थितान् दृष्ट्वा धार्तराष्ट्रान् कपिध्वजः ।
प्रवृत्ते शस्त्रसम्पाते धनुरुद्यम्य पाण्डवः ।। 20 ।।
हृषीकेशं तदा वाक्यमिदमाह महीपते ।
atha vyavasthitān dṛṣṭvā
dhārtarāṣṭrān kapi-dhvajaḥ
pravṛtte śastra-sampāte
dhanur udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ
hṛṣīkeśaṁ tadā vākyam
idam āha mahī-pate
atha – thereupon; vyavasthitān – situated; dṛṣṭvā – looking upon; dhārtarāṣṭrān – the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; kapi-dhvajaḥ – he whose flag was marked with Hanumān; pravṛtte – while about to engage; śastra-sampāte – in releasing his arrows; dhanuḥ – bow; udyamya – taking up; pāṇḍavaḥ – the son of Pāṇḍu (Arjuna); hṛṣīkeśam – unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; tadā – at that time; vākyam – words; idam – these; āha – said; mahī-pate – O King.
At that time Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, seated in the chariot bearing the flag marked with Hanumān, took up his bow and prepared to shoot his arrows. O King, after looking at the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra drawn in military array, Arjuna then spoke to Lord Kṛṣṇa these words.
The battle was just about to begin. It is understood from the above statement that the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra were more or less disheartened by the unexpected arrangement of military force by the Pāṇḍavas, who were guided by the direct instructions of Lord Kṛṣṇa on the battlefield. The emblem of Hanumān on the flag of Arjuna is another sign of victory because Hanumān cooperated with Lord Rāma in the battle between Rāma and Rāvaṇa, and Lord Rāma emerged victorious. Now both Rāma and Hanumān were present on the chariot of Arjuna to help him. Lord Kṛṣṇa is Rāma Himself, and wherever Lord Rāma is, His eternal servitor Hanumān and His eternal consort Sītā, the goddess of fortune, are present. Therefore, Arjuna had no cause to fear any enemies whatsoever. And above all, the Lord of the senses, Lord Kṛṣṇa, was personally present to give him direction. Thus, all good counsel was available to Arjuna in the matter of executing the battle. In such auspicious conditions, arranged by the Lord for His eternal devotee, lay the signs of assured victory.
TEXTS 21–22
अर्जुन उवाच—
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ।। 21 ।।
यावदेतान्निरीक्षेऽहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान् ।
कैर्मया सह योद्धव्य – मस्मिन् रणसमुद्यमे ।। 22 ।।
arjuna uvāca
senayor ubhayor madhye
rathaṁ sthāpaya me ’cyuta
yāvad etān nirīkṣe ’haṁ
yoddhu-kāmān avasthitān
kair mayā saha yoddhavyam
asmin raṇa-samudyame
arjunaḥ uvāca – Arjuna said; senayoḥ – of the armies; ubhayoḥ – both; madhye – between; ratham – the chariot; sthāpaya – please keep; me – my; acyuta – O infallible one; yāvat – as long as; etān – all these; nirīkṣe – may look upon; aham – I; yoddhu-kāmān – desiring to fight; avasthitān – arrayed on the battlefield; kaiḥ – with whom; mayā – by me; saha – together; yoddhavyam – have to fight; asmin – in this; raṇa – strife; samudyame – in the attempt.
Arjuna said: O infallible one, please draw my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here, who desire to fight, and with whom I must contend in this great trial of arms.
Although Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, out of His causeless mercy He was engaged in the service of His friend. He never fails in His affection for His devotees, and thus He is addressed herein as infallible. As charioteer, He had to carry out the orders of Arjuna, and since He did not
