विवेचन सारांश

All get ready to fight in the great Battle of Mahabharata by blowing their conch shells !!

The Pāṇḍavas responded to the battle cry of the Kauravas by blowing their own divine Conchs.

The Conchs of the Pāṇḍavas are mentioned in the next two Shlokas. Like we give names to our toys, the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas had names for their conch shells and bows.

Pāñcajanya: Bhagavān Śrī Krishna's conch. Here he is addressed by another name, that is Hṛiṣhīkeśh. He is so named as "Hṛṣīka" means the senses and "Īśa" means the master and controller; that is, He is someone who was in control of his senses. This name emphasizes Krishna's control over his senses. His conch is called Panchajanya because he killed a demon named Panchajana, and the conch shell was formed from the demon's body. Bhagavān thus named the conch Panchajanya in memory of the demon.

Devadatta: Arjuna's conch. He had received this conch as a gift from Indradev. Here, Arjuna is addressed by another name, that is Dhanañ-jaya. Arjuna is called Dhananjaya, which means "winner of wealth," because he acquired vast amount of riches and treasures through his military campaigns during the Rajasuya Yajña. 

Pauṇḍra: the great conch of Bhima. Here he is described as Bhīma-karmā because he performed herculean tasks. He is also described as someone who is a vṛika-udaraḥ or a voracious eater. He was able to eat all his mother Kunti gave and then ask for more!

Sejal Ji correctly said that the Pāṇḍavas were five brothers. Heer Ji called out their names: Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva. In the previous Shloka, we have already come to know the names of the conch shells of Arjuna and Bhima. In this Shloka, we come to know the names of the conch shells of the other Pāṇḍava brothers as follows.

• Anantavijayaṃ: King Yudhishtira's conch.
• Sughoṣa: Nakula’s conch.
• Maṇipuṣpakau: Sahadeva’s conch.

Yudhisthira, Bhima, and Arjuna were the sons of Kunti Mata, while Nakula and Sahadeva were the sons of Madri Mata. Pāṇḍu was the father of all five Pāṇḍava brothers.

Great warriors on both sides, known for their bravery and skill, of the likes of King of Kasi, Shikandi, Dhrustadhumnya, Virata, and Satyaki also blew their Conchs.

The great warriors were

• King of Kasi, who was an excellent archer.
• Śhikhaṇḍī, the Maharathi or warrior chief and son of King Dhrupad
• Dhrustadhumnya, son of King Dhrupad and brother of Śhikhaṇḍī. He was the commander of the Pāṇḍavas' army.
• King Virata from Matsya Rajya, who had sheltered the Pāṇḍavas during their one-year incognito period.
• Satyaki, who had never faced defeat.

They were followed by King Draupada, Draupadi’s sons, and the mighty-armed Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra. Atharva Ji was right in naming Abhimanyu as Shubhadra and Arjuna’s son.

Everyone blew their individual Conchs from all directions.

The trumpeting sound of the Pāṇḍavas’ Conchs was so loud that it generated fear in the hearts of the Kauravas. The tremendous sound shook heaven and earth.

Arjuna, ready to wage the war, lifted his bow confidently. He then noticed the plight of the terrified Kaurava army. In this Shloka, Arjuna is addressed by yet another name Kapi-dwajaḥ, which means one who has Hanuman Ji on his flag.

Atharva Ji narrated an interesting story on the origin of Kapi-dwajaḥ.

While the Pāṇḍavas were in exile, one day Draupadi wanted a specific flower. Bhima went into the forest to get it. On the way, he saw an old monkey who was actually Hanuman Ji in disguise lying across the path. On being requested for path to pass by Bhima, the old monkey asked him to move the tail and proceed. Bhima, however, despite his best effort, could not move the "old monkey's" tail. He realized he was facing a Divine Being. Hanuman Ji then revealed his true form, blessing Bhima with knowledge and strength. He also told Bhima he would adorn Arjuna's chariot flag, bringing victory to the righteous during the battle of the Mahabharata. Since Hanuman Ji adorned the flag on Arjuna’s chariot, he is also known as Kapi-dwajaḥ.

Arjuna wished to see the armies on both sides in closer proximity. He requested Śrī Krishna to position the chariot in the middle of the battlefield, where he could see all the warriors assembled to fight on the side of the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas.

At this point in the war, Arjuna is brimming with confidence, as he had never lost a battle and was confident about his capability to win this battle also. He was keen to find out who those were on the Kaurava side who were willing to come into battle against a great warrior like himself.

He thus requested Bhagavān Śrī Krishna to place the chariot in the middle of the battlefield so that he could check and assess all the warriors assembled to fight on the side of the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas in closer proximity.

Arjuna said he wished to see the well-wishers of evil-minded Duryodhana, who had assembled on his side and were ready to fight for him. As we know, Duryodhana had a unique ability to make friends, and they all had assembled on his behalf in the battle.

Arjuna used the word evil-minded to describe Duryodhana for a reason.

On completion of their exile, the Pāṇḍavas returned and asked for their kingdom to be returned to them. Duryodhana refused to do so, leading to the prospect of a big battle. Bhagavān Śrī Krishna, as a peace ambassador, went and spoke to Duryodhana, requesting that he at least give them five villages. Duryodhana flatly refused to do so, saying, “Forget five villages, I refuse to give land the size of the tip of a needle to the Pāṇḍavas.”

Sañjaya narrates to King Dhritarashtra that thus addressed by Arjuna, Śrī Krishna placed the magnificent chariot in the centre of the battlefield between the two armies and asked Arjuna to behold the Pāṇḍava and Kaurava dynasty standing in front of him on either side, ready to wage the war.

In this Shloka, Bhagavān addresses Arjuna as Guḍākeśh (conqueror of sleep), for he could stay awake and remain vigilant for extended periods.

He had mastered this ability when he was learning to throw the Shabdavedi Baan in the darkness of night (an archery technique where an archer shoots a target by using its sound rather than by sight to locate it). Arjuna used to sit on a high branch of a tree with a river flowing below. Every time he fell asleep, he would fall into the river. He would again climb up on the branch and practice controlling his sleep. This went on for six months before he gained complete control of his sleep.

Laxman Ji in Ramayana had this ability too.

We all tend to get bored and sleepy when we study but never when we play. Next time when we feel sleepy, we should try to do some sit-ups, and we will definitely overcome our
drowsiness and get renewed energy and concentration.

Standing there, Arjuna could see his much-respected grandfather Bhīṣma Pitāmaha and Guru Dronacharya standing in front of him. He could further see other relatives including uncles, cousins, sons, nephews, grandchildren, friends, and well-wishers.

Seeing so many of his loved ones present on the battlefield, Arjuna’s attachment towards them was rekindled, and he was overwhelmed with dejection and deep sorrow at the prospect of fighting and possibly killing many of them.

He lost all his confidence to fight and win the battle and confided his feelings of gloom to Śrī Krishna.

This may have been planned by Bhagavān Śrī Krishna since he had to prepare the mind of Arjuna for the upcoming battle to uphold Dharma or virtue. This also led to the narration of the Bhagavadgītā for the good of all people through the generations.  

In the next session, we will know in detail what Arjuna said to Śrī Krishna after he lost his initial confidence and became depressed.

The Vivechan was offered to the lotus feet of Bhagavān Śrī Krishna and was followed by a Questions and Answers session. It concluded with a prayer to Bhagavān and a rendition of Hanuman Chalisa.

Questions and Answers

Atharva Ji

Q: Who gave the Devadatta conch shell to Arjuna?. Was it Varundev or Indradev? I have heard both names.
 A: Maybe Indradev had given the bow and Varundev the conch shell. Let me check and confirm next week.

Ruthvik Ji and Dheemahi Ji

Q: Why did Śrī Krishna let the battle of the Mahabharata happen? Why didn’t Bhagavān Vishnu just destroy the evil people from Vaikunta loka?

A: It was done to remove the evil and establish Dharma or virtue back on this earth. Bhagavān Vishnu always comes as an Avatar or incarnation when evil and vice overtake the world. We have seen this happen earlier also. Bhagavān Vishnu has come to the earth as an Avatar to reestablish goodness.

Shweta Ji and Atharva Ji named the Dashavatar as:

• Matsya
• Kurma
• Varaha
• Narasimha
• Vamana
• Parashurama
• Śrī Rama
• Śrī Krishna.
• Buddha
• Kalki

Sejal Sahu Ji

Q: Why is the epic named Mahabharata?

A: Let me check and confirm next week.

Pranika Ji

Q: Who killed Duryodhana?

A: Atharva Ji responded correctly as it was Bhima. He was applauded for his knowledge as he has been regular in listening to Vivechans.