Challenges Are Part of Life – One Should Learn to Stand and Face Them
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita: Arjuna Vishada Yogam: Chapter 1: Verses 15
पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जय: |
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदर: || 15||
pāñchajanyaṁ hṛiṣhīkeśho devadattaṁ dhanañjayaḥ
pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā-śhaṅkhaṁ bhīma-karmā vṛikodaraḥ|| 15||
Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 1- Ver. 15: Hrishikesha sounded his Paanchajanya conch, Arjuna blew his Devadatta conch, and the terrifying Bheema blew his Paundra conch.
Explanation
Shree Krishna is referred to in this verse as “Hrishikesha,” which is Sanskrit for “the Lord of the mind and senses.” Shree Krishna is the Supreme Lord who governs the minds and senses of all beings.
The Lord, who goes by the name Hrishikesha, directly commands Arjuna’s transcendental senses here on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Lord goes by several names depending on what He does.
In this verse, Arjuna is referred to as Dhananjaya because he assisted his elder brother in obtaining wealth when the King needed to pay for several sacrifices. Similar to how Vrikodara could eat eagerly and do impossible undertakings, including killing the demon Hidimba, Bhima is known as Vrikodara.
The specific conchshell blows made by the various Pandava supporters—starting with the Lord—were all immensely motivating to the soldiers engaged in combat. On the other side, there were no such credits, the ultimate director Lord Krishna wasn’t there, and neither was the goddess of luck. Therefore, they were bound to lose the war, and the conch shells’ sounds signaled this.
Reflection
It was customary to blow the conches to announce the beginning of a war. To put it another way, everyone was determined to start the battle as soon as that sound was made, leaving no opportunity for negotiation or deliberation.
The Gita is primarily a guide on how to live a balanced life in harmony with the rest of the world, thus we should constantly remind ourselves of this. In order to make sense of what we read in this work, we should attempt to relate it to our own lives and experiences.
The sound of the conches warned Arjuna that he was going to face a very challenging situation—that of war—as he stood face-to-face with the Kaurava army.
To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.
There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, and meditation for stress, and each meditation’s benefits are countless. There are also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.
In the next three shlokas, a description of the persons who blew their respective conch shells is given.
Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…