Bhagavad Gita · Arjuna Vishada YogaChapter 1, Shloka 18 (1.18)
Original Sanskrit · सञ्जयः
द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान् दध्मुः पृथक् पृथक्
॥ 1.18 ॥
drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivīpate
saubhadraśca mahābāhuḥ śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak
Translation
"…Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, and the mighty-armed son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu) — O lord of the earth (Dhritarashtra)! — all of them, on every side, blew their own conches, each separately."
Interpretation
"Pṛthivīpate" — O lord of the earth! Sanjaya addresses Dhritarashtra in the middle — "O master of the earth". Madhusudana Sarasvati gives its sense: "O Dhritarashtra, listen steadily." It is as if Sanjaya knows that the next part of the account will be hard for the king (1.19 — "tore through the hearts of Dhritarashtra's sons").
A light irony can also be read in this address: the very one being called "master of the earth" is the one whose sons' kingdom is at stake. This is our interpretation.
"Pṛthak pṛthak" — each separately. On the Kaurava side the instruments sounded "sahasaiva" — all at once together (1.13). On the Pandava side every warrior blew his own conch, separately. One reading could be that Sanjaya is underlining the individual identity and resolve of each warrior on the Pandava side. This comparison comes from the text, but its meaning is our interpretation.
Three generations. In this shloka Drupada (Draupadi's father), Draupadi's sons, and Abhimanyu (Arjuna's son) appear together. As in 1.6, here too the next generation is seen standing in the war.
Abhimanyu — "mahābāhu". Mahabahu (long-armed/strong-armed) is a traditional heroic epithet in Sanskrit; in the Gita, Arjuna too is repeatedly called "mahabaho".
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.