Gita 1.19 – Kauravas’ bravado battered and shattered by Pandavas’ bravery

 

Audio Link 2 – https://www.thespiritualscientist.com/gita-01-19-kauravas-bravado-battered-and-shattered-by-pandavas-bravery/

 

sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṁ

hṛdayāni vyadārayat

nabhaś ca pṛthivīṁ caiva

tumulo ’bhyanunādayan 

 

Word-for-Word:

saḥ — that; ghoṣaḥ — vibration; dhārtarāṣṭrāṇām — of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; hṛdayāni — hearts; vyadārayat — shattered; nabhaḥ — the sky; ca — also; pṛthivīm — the surface of the earth; ca — also; eva — certainly; tumulaḥ — uproarious; abhyanunādayan — resounding.

 

Translation:

The blowing of these different conchshells became uproarious. Vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.

 

Explanation:

“Sa ghoṣaḥ”: Refers to the sound or the vibrations emanating from the conch shells blown by the Pāṇḍava warriors.

“Dhārtarāṣṭrāṇām”: A generic term commonly used in scriptures to refer to the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, i.e., the Kauravas. It follows the convention or tradition of referring to the sons based on their father’s name.

“Hṛdayāni vyadārayat”: Describes the impact of the conch sound on the Dhārtarāṣṭras—literally, it shattered their hearts.

 

The word “hṛdaya”—meaning heart—is used in multiple senses. Generally, it has two main meanings. One, of course, is the biological heart, which is actually very rarely referred to in spiritual literature. When we say that somebody’s heart was broken, it does not mean that the biological heart is literally fragmented into pieces. In common parlance, we use “heart” metaphorically, referring to it as the seat of emotions, not the biological organ. Our emotions are centered in our heart, and when we hold certain emotions as very dear to us and those emotions are frustrated, wrecked, or disappointed in an excruciating way, we say we are heartbroken. For example, if we love someone deeply and that person disappoints or betrays us, we feel as though our heart is shattered.

Hṛdayāni vyadārayat—What caused the shattering of the Kauravas’ hearts?

 

The Kauravas were confident that they would win the war. Duryodhana, in particular, was so assured of his superior numbers and allies that he believed victory was certain. With eleven Akṣauhiṇīs and formidable warriors like Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Śalya, Bhūriśrava, and Bāhlika on his side, Duryodhana felt invincible. His overconfidence led him to think that there wouldn’t even be much of a contest. He expected not just victory but an easy, one-sided triumph, where they would simply romp home to victory. Wanting at least some challenge, Duryodhana arrogantly sought to incite the Pāṇḍavas and sent Ulūka, the son of Śakuni, with an extremely provocative message that effectively insulted all the Pāṇḍavas. The message reminded them of the humiliations they had endured and claimed that Duryodhana was responsible for them, asserting that they were no match for him. Essentially, Duryodhana’s goal was to provoke the Pāṇḍavas into fighting fiercely.

 

While the Pāṇḍavas did get incited, and that part of his plan worked, the foundational assumption—that the Pāṇḍavas were no match for him—proved disastrously wrong. The first sign of the folly of his overconfidence came when he heard the Pāṇḍavas blowing their conch shells. The blowing of the conch shells indicates the fighting spirit, courage, and determination of the warriors. It vividly expresses their readiness for battle. For instance, in a cricket match, if one team is being completely dominated, their body language often reflects this defeat. For instance, if the batsmen have been on the field for a long time, scoring centuries and double centuries, while the bowlers and fielders are exhausted and struggling to find a breakthrough, their body language becomes increasingly defeatist. Conversely, confident and almost victorious body language can inspire a team and impact the morale of the opposition. When a batsman strides out with confidence, it can sober and demoralize the opposing team.

 

Similarly, the Kauravas had been putting on a bold front. However, right at the beginning of the war, as described in the second verse, when Duryodhana saw the fighting phalanxes and how they had been arranged, he realized that the Pāṇḍavas were going to be more than just a handful. First, he observed their strategic formation, and then the Kauravas heard the fighting spirit of the Pāṇḍavas, vividly expressed through the blowing of their conch shells. This created not just apprehension but something much stronger; it shattered their overconfidence in their expected easy victory. They began to doubt whether they had warriors of such caliber, arranged with such expertise, and energized with such confidence. They wondered, “Will we even be able to match them?” Their morale started to crumble, which is captured by the phrase “hṛdayāni vyadārayat”—their hearts were shattered.

 

The Kauravas blew their conch shells, and the resulting noise is described as “tumulo ’bhyanunādayan,” indicating a tumultuous sound. The word “tumulo,” which appeared earlier in Bhagavad-gītā 1.13 (sa śabdas tumulo ’bhavat), resembles the English word “tumultuous,” signifying a loud and overwhelming noise. The magnitude of the sound produced by the blowing of conch shells is emphasized for both the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas. However, the loudness of the sound did not seem to affect the Pāṇḍavas, as no further description is provided about their reaction.

 

However, in this context, the loudness of the sound is described with the phrase “tumulo ’bhyanunādayan”, which conveys that it pervaded all of space, from the bottom of the earth to the top of the sky (“nabhasca pṛthivīṁ caiva”). A similar pervasion will be indicated when Krishna reveals His Viśvarūpa (universal form) to Arjuna. Arjuna describes this form in Bhagavad-gītā 11.24 with the words “nabhaḥ-spṛśaṁ dīptam aneka-varṇaṁ,” meaning that Krishna’s form pervades all of space in front of him and touches the sky.

 

The sound of the Pāṇḍava warriors blowing their conch shells filled all of space, creating the sensation that no other sound existed; it was the only sound that dominated every direction. This overwhelming noise shattered the hearts of the Kauravas. In the initial pre-battle phase, both armies aim to wear down the other’s morale through confident displays and strategic posturing. The Kauravas were trying to strike a confident, dismissive posture, but the Pāṇḍavas beat them at their own game with their expert military formation and spirited conch-shell blowing. This powerful display shattered the hearts of the Kauravas.

 

Those who fight against the Lord may put on a show of bravado, attempting to deceive the world with their bluff and bluster, but beneath this facade, they are insubstantial. Their hearts are empty and unfulfilled, with their craving and need for love misdirected and distorted. In contrast, devotees of the Lord are always confident of their relationship with Him and in their service to Him, and this inner confidence eventually manifests as outer victory. Śrīla Prabhupāda, even when he was alone in America, remained confident. Many of his disciples described him as effulgent, with a face that always carried a victorious look. He was victorious in his service to Krishna because he was constantly engaged in that service, regardless of whether it yielded external results or not. In time, those external victories also manifested gloriously. This principle is echoed in the confidence of the Pāṇḍavas and the shattered confidence of the Kauravas, as depicted in this verse.

 

Thank you.