ii9 



frequently given names that have become immortal in 

 song and story. The beautiful Excalibur wielded by 

 Arthur in many glorious fights, Charlemagne's famous 

 brand Joyeuse, and the magic Tyrfing so oft the theme 

 of Viking sagas, have their parallels in the names of 

 the conchs of the Mahabharata heroes. 



When the opposing hosts of Kauravas and Pandavas 

 confronted each other on die field of Kurukshetra, we 

 read in the Bhagavat-Gita (verses ii to 19) how the 

 prelude to battle was the deafening clamour sounded by 

 the leaders on their great conchs. 



" The Ancient of the Kurus, the Grandsire (Bhisma), 

 the glorious, sounded on high his conch, " The Lion's 

 Roar." 



" Then conchs and kettledrums, tabors and drums 

 ;jnd cow horns, suddenly blared forth with tumultuous 

 clam()ur. 



"Stationed in their great war-chariot yoked to white 

 horses, ' Mad hava (Krishna) and the son of Pandu 

 (Arjuna) blew their divine conchs. 



" Panchajanya was blown by Hrishikisha (Krishna) 

 and Devadatta by Dhananjaya (Arjuna). Vrikodara 

 (Bhima) of terrible deeds blew his mighty conch, 

 Paundra. 



"The king Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, blew 

 Anantavijaya ; Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conchs 

 Sughosha and Manipushpaka. 



"And Kashya of the great bow and Shikhandi, the 

 mighty carwarrior, Dristadyumna and Virata and Satykai, 

 the unconquered.. 



" Drupada and the Draupadeyas, O Lord of Earth, 

 anJ Saubhadra, the mighty-armed, on all sides their 

 several conchs blew. 



" That tumultuous uproar rent the hearts of the sons 

 of Dhritarashtra, filling the earth and sky with sound." 



Here the names of the conchs possessed by all the 

 five Pandava brothers are given, — Paundra, Devadatta, 

 Anantavijaya, Sughosha and Manipushpaka. Paundra 

 appears to have been named from ]\mdra, a demon kill- 

 ed by Bhima ; the others signify respectively God-given, 

 Eternal X'ictory, Sweet Voice or Honey-tone, and Jewel- 

 blossom. 



