Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, Verse 18

Chapter 1 – Arjuna Vishada Yoga · Speaker: Sanjaya

Sanskrit verse

द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते ।
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक् ॥

Transliteration

drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivīpate .
saubhadraśca mahābāhuḥ śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ pṛthakpṛthak ॥

Meaning

O lord of the earth, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty-armed son of Subhadra each blew their own conches on every side.

Word meanings

द्रुपदः – Drupada
द्रौपदेयाः – the sons of Draupadi
च – and
सर्वशः – on all sides
पृथिवीपते – O lord of the earth
सौभद्रः – the son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu)
महाबाहुः – mighty-armed
शङ्खान् – conches
दध्मुः – blew
पृथक् पृथक् – each separately

Anvaya (word order)

पृथिवीपते, द्रुपदः द्रौपदेयाः च महाबाहुः सौभद्रः च सर्वशः पृथक् पृथक् शङ्खान् दध्मुः ।

Explanation

The sentence begun in the previous verse is completed here. Drupada, the five sons of Draupadi and Abhimanyu also sound their conches. Thus all the leading warriors on the Pandava side, from the eldest to the youngest, declare with one voice their readiness for battle.

Sanjaya addresses Dhritarashtra as prithivipate, 'lord of the earth'. The address may carry a touch of irony and a subtle warning. A king who is called lord of the whole earth could have stopped this ruinous war had he wished. Sanjaya seems to remind him that responsibility for the slaughter finally rests with the king. The Pandavas had asked for only five villages; Duryodhana refused to yield even as much land as a needle's point could cover, and Dhritarashtra stayed silent.

The phrase prithak prithak, 'each separately', is important. The Kaurava instruments sounded sahasa, 'all at once', creating mere uproar. The Pandava conches sounded one by one, each distinct and recognisable. This points to discipline, order and the self-assurance of every warrior.

Abhimanyu is called mahabahu, 'mighty-armed'. Though the youngest, he was second to none in valour. He was introduced in verse 6.

Context

Verses 17 and 18 together describe the conches of the other Pandava warriors. The next verse tells what effect this sound had on the hearts of the Kauravas.

Life lesson

Those who hold power carry an equally great responsibility; failing to stop injustice in time is itself a wrong. And a team in which every member has a clear voice of their own is truly united.

Key terms

Prithivipati: lord of the earth; here an address to Dhritarashtra
Mahabahu: mighty-armed
Prithak prithak: separately, one by one