Gita 01.15 The devoted see God before they see the world, the undevoted see only the world.

 

Audio link 1: Gita 01.15 The Devoted See God Before They See The World The Undevoted See Only The World

 

pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣīkeśo

devadattaṁ dhanañ-jayaḥ

pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā–śaṅkhaṁ

bhīma-karmā vṛkodaraḥ

 

Word for word: 

pāñcajanyam — the conchshell named Pāñcajanya; hṛṣīka–īśaḥ — Hṛṣīkeśa (Kṛṣṇa, the Lord who directs the senses of the devotees); devadattam — the conchshell named Devadatta; dhanam–jayaḥ — Dhanañjaya (Arjuna, the winner of wealth); pauṇḍram — the conch named Pauṇḍra; dadhmau — blew; mahā–śaṅkham — the terrific conchshell; bhīma–karmā — one who performs herculean tasks; vṛka–udaraḥ — the voracious eater (Bhīma).

 

Translation:

Lord Kṛṣṇa blew His conchshell, called Pāñcajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhīma, the voracious eater and performer of herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell, called Pauṇḍra.

 

Explanation:

 

Sañjaya continues to describe the Pāṇḍavas’ response to the Kauravas’ throwing down the gauntlet by blowing their conchshells. Bhīṣma blew his conchshell first, as described in the twelfth verse, followed by all the Kauravas blowing theirs. Then the focus shifts to the Pāṇḍavas’ side. The previous verse described the Pāṇḍavas’ side, and now the action on their side, beginning with Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, is described here.

 

“pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣīkeśo”: Kṛṣṇa blew his conchshell “Pāñcajanya”.

“devadattaṁ dhanañ-jayaḥ”: Dhanañjaya blew his “Devadatta”.

“pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā-śaṅkhaṁ”: “Pauṇḍra” is the conchshell of Bhīma.

 

It’s interesting to note the order of the hierarchy in the series described. Sañjaya narrates the Bhagavad Gita and the entire Kurukṣetra war incident to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, focusing on Kṛṣṇa first. Even in the previous verse, where he describes the chariot, he says ‘mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaś caiva,’ mentioning Mādhava before Pāṇḍava. The pairing of Mādhava and Pāṇḍava creates a beautiful rhyme, and their order also reflects significance, as the first mentioned often holds greater importance in the narrative.

 

Sañjaya’s devoted heart will be evident at the end of the Gita, where he will be thrilled on seeing Kṛṣṇa, remembering the Bhagavad Gita and meditating on it. A similar glimpse of his devotion is seen here, where he focuses on the Pāṇḍavas’ side, particularly on Kṛṣṇa. In describing the people present, Sañjaya first mentions Kṛṣṇa. Notably, among the non-combatants, no other charioteer is mentioned blowing a conchshell, yet Kṛṣṇa’s act is highlighted and mentioned first. This focus shows that Sañjaya’s vision is neither conditioned nor influenced by illusion—he recognizes Kṛṣṇa’s supreme power even though Kṛṣṇa is not participating in the battle. Thus, he starts with Kṛṣṇa, recognizing Him as the single-most important being on the battlefield and indeed in all existence.

 

This focus on Kṛṣṇa continues in both the fourteenth and fifteenth verses. Sañjaya will later describe the battlefield, but he begins with Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, devotees are aware of the world and its factors, but their primary focus is on Kṛṣṇa. On the other hand, materialistic people often prioritize the world and only turn their attention to Kṛṣṇa if they have time and energy left.

 

Duryodhana, while assessing the two armies, completely overlooks Kṛṣṇa’s presence. He mentions several Pāṇḍava warriors, but he doesn’t acknowledge Kṛṣṇa. Just because Kṛṣṇa is a non-combatant, he assumes that Kṛṣṇa will be a non-entity, thinking, “What can a charioteer do?” However, Kṛṣṇa’s contribution is not dependent on His position. That is Kṛṣṇa’s specialty—He does not need any significant position to make a substantial contribution. He doesn’t have to be the commander of the army or the king to make the greatest impact. Even from an insignificant position, Kṛṣṇa can make a huge contribution, and that is Kṛṣṇa’s special quality. Kṛṣṇa is so benevolent and potent that He, without shooting a single arrow, guides the one who is shooting all the arrows and leads that person to victory.

 

This is especially evident in the Jayadratha incident, where Arjuna shot thousands of arrows while trying to reach Jayadratha but couldn’t succeed. He finally reached Jayadratha when he was guided by Kṛṣṇa. Hence, both devotion and anti-devotion are demonstrated in the opening descriptions of the Gita. Duryodhana’s lack of devotion and deep strategic understanding of Kṛṣṇa’s power is evident in his complete oversight of Kṛṣṇa. In contrast, Sañjaya’s devotion is shown through his emphasis on Kṛṣṇa, not just in the fourteenth verse but also in the fifteenth, where he again mentions Kṛṣṇa before Arjuna.

 

Sañjaya acknowledges that Bhīma has “pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā-śaṅkhaṁ,” indicating Bhīma’s immense physical presence and the powerful sound produced by his large conch. However, power is seen not just in strength but also in skill and strategy. A rhino or hippo has a massive body, but they are not as feared as a tiger, which combines speed with skill and strength. A rhino or hippo may have significant bulk and strength, but they lack the same level of skill and strategic capability.

 

Overall, we recognize Sañjaya’s devotion and can appreciate it by observing how he describes the actions on the Pāṇḍava side.

 

Thank you.