Arjuna Vishada Yoga · Verse 15

Bhagavad Gita 1.15

The war begins in sound before a single strike.

Wisdom translation, edited by Ankur Shukla. Commentary AI-drafted, human-reviewed. Reviewed June 2026. Methodology →

पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनंजयः ।
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
अन्तर्यामी भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण ने पाञ्चजन्य नामक तथा धनञ्जय अर्जुन ने देवदत्त नामक शंख बजाया और भयानक कर्म करनेवाले वृकोदर भीम ने पौण्ड्र नामक महाशंख बजाया ॥
English
Hrisikesha Krishna blew the Panchajanya, Dhananjaya Arjuna blew the Devadatta, and Bhima of mighty deeds blew the great conch Paundra.

What this verse means

Krishna, Arjuna, and Bhima each blew their own conches as the battle began.

Context & commentary

On Kurukshetra, the two armies are already formed and the first conches have sounded. Sanjaya names the three great warriors on the Pandava side as their conches answer the call, marking the point where words end and battle begins.

Why this verse still matters

The room goes quiet before the hard announcement. Then one clear voice speaks, and everyone knows the moment has crossed into action.

The takeaway

The moment is set by sound before the fighting starts.

Word-by-word translation

पाञ्चजन्यं (Panchajanya) / हृषीकेशः (Hrisikesha) / देवदत्तं (Devadatta) / धनंजयः (Dhananjaya) / पौण्ड्रं (Paundra) / दध्मौ (blew) / महाशङ्खम् (great conch) / भीमकर्मा (one of mighty deeds) / वृकोदरः (Bhimasena)

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