BG 1.15
Krishna blew a conch named Panchajanya, Arjuna blew a conch named Devadatta, and Bhima blew the great conch named Paundra.
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः
The next four verses describe a brief moment before the Kurukshetra war, when the Pandavas and their allies blow their conch shells.
Conches of the Mahabharata
Panchajanya
The pāñcajanya is the divine conch of Vishnu, and symbolizes the five elements of Hindu cosmology (earth, air, fire, water, and ether). The sound from this conch is considered the primeval sound of creation. In the Skanda Purana, the Pāñcajanya is mentioned as the supreme deity of all musical instruments. Eighteen days later, Krishna would blow this conch to signal the end of the Kurukshetra war.
Devadatta
Arjuna acquired this conch from devas (divine beings) earlier in the Mahabharata in a divinely ordained quest from Indra to destroy a race of demonic beings known as nivatakavachas ("impenetrable armored ones").
Paundra
The name of Bhima's conch means "that which has lines on it", and is described as a massive shell.
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pāñchajanyaṁ — the conch shell Pāñcajanya
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hṛiṣhīkeśho — Krishna
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devadattaṁ — the conch shell Devadatta
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dhanañjayaḥ — Arjuna
Refers to Arjuna by the epithet Dhanañjaya, which means "winner of wealth"-
dhana — wealth
धन -
jayaḥ — victory, triumph
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pauṇḍraṁ — the conch named Pauṇḍra
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dadhmau — blew
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mahā-śhaṅkhaṁ — the great conch shell
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mahā — great
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śhaṅkhaṁ — conch shell
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bhīma-karmā — one who performs mighty tasks
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bhīma — Bhima
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karmā — actions, tasks
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vṛikodaraḥ — the voracious eater
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vṛiko — wolf, wolf-like
From vṛka -
daraḥ — stomach
From udara (उदर), which generally refers to the inner body cavity
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To Duryodhana's delight, the grandsire of the Kuru dynasty let out a lion's roar and loudly blew his conch. Suddenly, all the conches, drums, trumpets, and horns blared forth a tumultuous uproar. Then, from a glorious chariot yoked with white horses, Krishna and Arjuna blew their divine conch shells. Krishna blew a conch named Panchajanya, Arjuna blew a conch named Devadatta, and Bhima blew the great conch named Paundra. Yudhisthira blew his conch Anantavijay, while Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and Manipushpaka conches. The King of Kashi, wielding a great bow, the mighty warrior Shikandi, Dhrishtadyumna, Virat, and the invincible Satyaki, Drupad, the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty Abhimanyu, all blew their respective conch shells. That tumultuous uproar reverberated through heaven and earth, and shattered the hearts of your sons. Seeing Dhritirashtra's sons arrayed for war, Arjuna picked up his bow and spoke the following words to Krishna.
Similar verses
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Yudhisthira blew his conch Anantavijay, while Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosha and Manipushpaka conches.
- Verse 1.16
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...Drupad, the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty Abhimanyu, all blew their respective conch shells.
- Verse 1.18
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Then, from a glorious chariot yoked with white horses, Krishna and Arjuna blew their divine conch shells.
- Verse 1.14