Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 15

Chapter 1 – Arjuna Vishada Yoga · Speaker: Sanjaya

Sanskrit verse

पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ।
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ॥

Transliteration

pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkeśo devadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ .
pauṇḍraṃ dadhmau mahāśaṅkhaṃ bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ ॥

Meaning

Hrishikesha (Krishna) blew the conch Panchajanya, Dhananjaya (Arjuna) blew Devadatta, and Vrikodara (Bhima), doer of tremendous deeds, blew the great conch Paundra.

Word meanings

पाञ्चजन्यम् – the conch named Panchajanya
हृषीकेशः – Hrishikesha, lord of the senses (Krishna)
देवदत्तम् – the conch named Devadatta
धनञ्जयः – Dhananjaya, winner of wealth (Arjuna)
पौण्ड्रम् – the conch named Paundra
दध्मौ – blew
महाशङ्खम् – the great conch
भीमकर्मा – doer of terrible deeds
वृकोदरः – wolf-bellied (Bhima)

Anvaya (word order)

हृषीकेशः पाञ्चजन्यम्, धनञ्जयः देवदत्तम्, भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः पौण्ड्रं महाशङ्खं दध्मौ ।

Explanation

From here onward the conch of each chief Pandava warrior is named, together with epithets that reveal their qualities.

Krishna is called Hrishikesha: hrishika means the senses and isha means lord. He is the controller of the senses and of the inner being of all. The name recurs often in the Gita and hints that only the lord of the senses can dispel Arjuna's delusion. His conch is Panchajanya. The story goes that to bring back the son of his teacher Sandipani, Krishna slew a sea-dwelling demon named Panchajana, and the conch obtained from him came to be called Panchajanya.

Arjuna is called Dhananjaya, 'winner of wealth', because at Yudhishthira's Rajasuya sacrifice he conquered many kings and gathered great riches. His conch is Devadatta, 'given by the gods'; Indra presented it to him after his victory over the demons.

Bhima is called bhimakarma, 'doer of terrible deeds', and Vrikodara, 'wolf-bellied'. Both his appetite and his strength were extraordinary; a fire called vrika was said to burn in his stomach, digesting anything. His great conch Paundra was famous for its deep, thunderous sound.

Context

The previous verse mentioned generally that Krishna and Arjuna blew their divine conches; here the conches are named, along with Bhima's. The next verse names the conches of Yudhishthira, Nakula and Sahadeva.

Life lesson

Our names and identities are shaped by our deeds; titles like Dhananjaya and Bhimakarma were earned through valour. And only one who becomes master of his own senses can truly guide others.

Key terms

Hrishikesha: lord of the senses; Krishna
Panchajanya: Krishna's conch, won from the demon Panchajana
Dhananjaya: winner of wealth; Arjuna
Devadatta: Arjuna's conch, a gift of the gods
Vrikodara: wolf-bellied; Bhima