Thursday, August 25, 2011

Bhagavad Gita Verse 12, Chapter 1

tasya sanjanayanharsham kuruvriddha pitaamaha |
simhanaada vinadyochchai shankamdadhamau prataapavaan || 12 ||

 
Then the valiant Bheeshma, elder of the Kuru dynasty, blew his conch loudly, a sound as mighty as the roar of a lion, delighting Duryodhana.
 
prataapavaan: valiant
kuruvriddhaha pitaamaha: Bheeshma who is an elder of the Kuru dynasty
simhanaada vinadya: roaring like a lion
shankham dadhamau: blew his conch
uchchaiha: very loudly
tasya : in this manner
harsham : delight
sanjayanan : of the king
 
This is the first verse in a series of verses which indicate the beginning of the Mahabharata war. Traditionally, conches were blown to announce the start of the war. Bheeshma, sensing the fear in Duryodhana, blew his conch so that Duryodhana felt confident that his army was still on his side.
 
It also indicates the dependence of Duryodhana's ego on external circumstances, such as the roar of conches, in order to strengthen itself, instead of an innate belief that his army was on his side.

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