Duryodhana while witnessing the strength of the Pāṇḍavas army supported by the might of Bhīmā weighed his own armies strength under the command of Bhīshma

and perceiving the mood of his preceptor Droṇāchārya, he could understand the inadequacy in his own troops and the perfection of strength on the Pāṇḍavas side to be victorious and internally this aggrieved him heavily.

Bhīshma seeing all this gave a roar like a lion and blew a mighty, reverberating blast on his conch-shell which was followed by a tumultuous beating of drums, blaring of horns and blasting of conch-shells as if indicative of the victory in order to cheer up Duryodhana.

Immediately upon hearing this Lord Krishna and Arjuna seated in their majestic chariot capable of conquering all the worlds; both seized their conch-shells and reverberated a sound that shook all the worlds.

Thereafter Bhīmā, Yudhisṭhīra, Nākula and Sahadeva and the rest of the mahā-rathas of the Pāṇḍava army blew their conch-shells

and the roar which was heard cleaved the hearts of Duryodhana and the army of the Kaurāvas and in their hearts they felt that the battle was already lost.

Thus did Sanjaya narrate to Dhritarāshtra whose only concern was for the success of his son Duryodhana and the Kaurāvas in the battle.

17 "And Kāśī's King, the supreme archer, and Śikhaṇḍin the great car-warrior, and Dhṛiṣṭadyumna and Virāṭa and Sātyaki the unconquered:

18 Drupada and the sons of Draupadī, as also the long-armed son of Subhadrā, O Lord of the Earth, blew from all sides their several respective conches.

19 That (resulting) roar cleft the hearts of Dhṛitarāṣṭra's men, causing—wild as it was—the Heaven and the Earth to resound.

(151)

There were also other kings such as Drupada and Draupad: so also Kāshīpati the great hero, Abhimanyu son of Arjuna, Sātyaki the unconquered, Dhrishtadyumna the master king, and also Shikhandi. Great kings Virāta and others who were the leading warriors were also sounding several of their conches repeatedly. Hearing that very terrible noise, Shesha and Kūrma, in sudden deadly consternation, looked like dropping down the burden of the earth. All the three worlds got violently shaken, Merumāndār (Mountains) became unsteady, and the ocean-water sprouted up to the very sky. It looked as if the earth was getting topsy-turvied, the skies were crashing down while the stars were dropping down thick and fast at that time. Satyaloka got thick with the report that the earth was lost, and the gods had become supportless. At the time of the approach of the world dissolution the Sun sets even during day-time; in that way there arose a tumult in all the three parts of the universe. Seeing all this, Lord Krishna got surprised and fearing that the unheard of sound would bring about the end of the world stopped it. Thus the universe was saved which would otherwise have gone to pieces, when Krishna and Arjuna both sounded their great conches. Although the sound got smoothened down still there remained its echo which made the Kaurava armies terror-stricken. Just as a lion easily destroys a herd of elephants, in the same way the sound of the conches cleft the hearts of the Kauravas. When they heard the wild roar they lost their courage as they were standing and warned each other to be cautious.

'Kāśyaśca parameṣvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ dhṛṣṭadyumno virātaśca sātyakiścāparājitaḥ drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivipate saubhadraśca mahābāhuḥ śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak'—The great chariot-warrior Śikhaṇḍī, was very brave. He in his previous birth was a woman, (the daughter named Ambā of the king of Kāśī), and in this birth also, was born as a daughter to king Drupada. Afterwards, she became a man by getting manhood from a genie, named Sthūṇākarṇa. Bhīṣma knew all this and therefore, he regarded him as a woman, and did not shoot arrows at him. Arjuna while fighting kept Śikhaṇḍī ahead, shot arrows at Bhīṣma and overthrew him from the chariot.

Arjuna's son Abhimanyu, was very brave. In warfare, he killed many warriors, by entering the army of soldiers stationed, in the form of a circle formed by Droṇa. At last, six great chariot-warriors of the army of Kauravas, surrounding him by foul means, attacked him with weapons and missiles. He was killed, when Duḥśāsana's son, hit him on the head, with a mace.

Sañjaya, mentioned only one warrior named Bhīṣma, who blew his conch from the Kaurava-army, while he mentioned eighteen warriors, such as Lord Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma etc., from the Pāṇḍava-army. It seems that Sañjaya, did not want to describe the unrighteous side of the Kaurava-army, in detail. But, he had great regard for Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Pāṇḍavas and the Pāṇḍava-army, because of their righteousness. So he thought it proper, to describe the warriors of Pāṇḍava-army, in more detail and he took delight in describing them.

*Link:—In the next verse is described the effect of the sound of the conchs on the Kaurava-army.*

तेथ भूपती होते अनेक । द्रुपद द्रौपदेयादिक । हा काशीपती देख । महाबाहु ॥ १५१॥

तेथ अर्जुनाचा सुतु । सात्यकि अपराजितु । दृष्टद्युम्नु नृपनाथु । शिखंडी हन ॥ १५२॥

विराटादि नृपवर । जे सैनिक मुख्य वीर । तिहीं नाना शंख निरंतर । आस्फुरिले ॥ १५३॥

तेणें महाघोषनिर्घातें । शेषकूर्म अवचिते । गजबजोनि भूभारातें । सांडूं पाहती ॥ १५४॥

तेथ तिन्हीं लोक डंडळित । मेरु मांदार आंदोळित । समुद्रजळ उसळत । कैलासवेरी ॥ १५५॥

(1.151) द्रुपद, द्रौपदी के पुत्रादिक, महाबाहु काशिराज इत्यादि वहाँ जो अनेक राजा उपस्थित थे

(1.152) तथा अर्जुन का पुत्र अभिमन्यु, अपराजित सात्यकि, धृष्टद्युम्न और शिखण्डी,

(1.153) विराट इत्यादि राजा और जो मुख्य सैनिक वीर थे उन सबने अनेक शंख लगातार बजाये ।

(1.154) उस महाघोष के धक्के से शेष, कूर्म, एकाएक घबरा कर भूमि का भार छोड़ने की चेष्टा करने लगे ।

(1.155) उस समय तीनों लोक कम्पित होने लगे । मेरु और मान्दार डगमगाने लगे और समुद्र का जल कैलास तक उछलने लगा ।

(1.156) पृथ्वीतल ऐसा जान पड़ता था कि मानों उलटता ही हो, आकाश मानों टूटा पड़ता था और नक्षत्रों की वर्षा हो रही थी । (1.157) सत्यलोक में हल्ला हो गया कि सृष्टि डूब गई; देव निराश्रित हो गये;

(1.158) दिन रहते ही सूर्य छिप गया; मानों प्रलयकाल ही छा रहा हो। इस प्रकार तीनों लोकों में हाहाकार मच गया।

(1.159) यह देखकर आदि-नारायण विस्मय से कहने लगे कि ऐसा न हो कि अन्त ही हो जावे। तब उन्होंने उस अद्भुत आवेश को खींच लिया।

(1.160) इससे जगत का बचाव हुआ, नहीं तो कृष्णादिकों के महाशंख बजाना आरम्भ करते प्रलय ही आ पहुँचा था।

(1.161) यद्यपि वह घोष बन्द हो गया तथापि उसकी जो प्रतिध्वनि हो रही थी उसने कौरवों की सेना का विध्वंस कर दिया।

(1.162) जैसे हाथियों के समूह के बीच घिरा हुआ सिंह सहज ही उस समूह का विदारण कर डालता है वैसे ही वह प्रतिध्वनि कौरवों के हृदय का छेदन करती थी।

(1.163) ज्योंही वे उसकी गर्जना सुनते त्योंही खड़े-खड़े गिर पड़ते थे और एक दूसरे को सचेत रहने की सूचना करते थे।

‘काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः...शङ्खान् दध्मुः पृथक् पृथक्’—महारथी शिखण्डी बहुत शूरवीर था। यह पहले जन्ममें स्त्री (काशिराजकी कन्या अम्बा) था और इस जन्ममें भी राजा द्रुपदको पुत्ररूपसे प्राप्त हुआ था। आगे चलकर यही शिखण्डी स्थूणाकर्ण नामक यक्षसे पुरुषत्व प्राप्त करके पुरुष बना। भीष्मजी इन सब बातोंको जानते थे और शिखण्डीको स्त्री ही समझते थे। इस कारण वे इसपर बाण नहीं चलाते थे। अर्जुनने युद्धके समय इसीको आगे करके भीष्मजीपर बाण चलाये और उनको रथसे नीचे गिरा दिया।

अर्जुनका पुत्र अभिमन्यु बहुत शूरवीर था। युद्धके समय इसने द्रोणनिर्मित चक्रव्यूहमें घुसकर अपने पराक्रमसे बहुत-से वीरोंका संहार किया। अन्तमें कौरव-सेनाके छः महारथियोंने इसको अन्यायपूर्वक घेरकर इसपर शस्त्र-

अस्त्र चलाये। दुःशासनपुत्रके द्वारा सिरपर गदाका प्रहार होनेसे इसकी मृत्यु हो गयी।

संजयने शंखवादनके वर्णनमें कौरव-सेनाके शूरवीरोंमेंसे केवल भीष्मजीका ही नाम लिया और पाण्डव-सेनाके शूरवीरोंमेंसे भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण, अर्जुन, भीम आदि अठारह वीरोंके नाम लिये। इससे ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि संजयके मनमें अधर्मके पक्ष-(कौरवसेना-) का आदर नहीं है। इसलिये वे अधर्मके पक्षका अधिक वर्णन करना उचित नहीं समझते। परन्तु उनके मनमें धर्मके पक्ष-(पाण्डवसेना-) का आदर होनेसे और भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण तथा पाण्डवोंके प्रति आदरभाव होनेसे वे उनके पक्षका ही अधिक वर्णन करना उचित समझते हैं और उनके पक्षका वर्णन करनेमें ही उनको आनन्द आ रहा है।

सम्बन्ध—पाण्डव-सेनाके शंखवादनका कौरवसेनापर क्या असर हुआ—इसको आगेके श्लोकमें कहते हैं।