Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 14
ततः श्वेतैर्हयैर्युक्ते महति स्यन्दने स्थितौ।
माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शङ्खौ प्रदध्मतुः।।
माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शङ्खौ प्रदध्मतुः।।
tataḥ śvetairhayairyukte mahati syandane sthitau
mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaścaiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ
also searched as "tatah shvetair hayair yukte mahati syandane sthitau"
Translation
Then Sri Krishna and Arjuna, stationed in their great chariot yoked with white horses, blew their divine conchs.
Vāṇi's rendering
Then, from a great chariot yoked with white horses, Krishna and Arjuna sounded their divine conches.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ततःtataḥ | then, after that |
| श्वेतैःśvetaiḥ | with white (sandhi: śvetair before hayaiḥ) |
| हयैःhayaiḥ | with horses (sandhi: hayair before yukte) |
| युक्तेyukte | yoked, harnessed |
| महतिmahati | great, magnificent |
| स्यन्दनेsyandane | in the chariot |
| स्थितौsthitau | the two standing, stationed |
| माधवःmādhavaḥ | Krishna |
| पाण्डवःpāṇḍavaḥ | the son of Pandu, Arjuna (sandhi: pāṇḍavaś before ca) |
| चca | and |
| एवeva | indeed, as well |
| दिव्यौdivyau | the two divine |
| शङ्खौśaṅkhau | the two conches |
| प्रदध्मतुःpradadhmatuḥ | the two of them blew |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 14 mean?
It is the answer to the Kaurava horns. Krishna and Arjuna stand together in one chariot drawn by white horses and sound their conches. Sanjaya marks the difference not by volume but by quality — these two are divyau, divine. One side has numbers. This side has Krishna on the chariot.
What does tatah shvetair hayair yukte mean in the Gita?
"Then, from a chariot yoked with white horses." Śvetaiḥ hayaiḥ — the white horses were Arjuna's, given to him long before this day. The detail matters because Sanjaya is painting for a blind king who cannot see. He wants Dhṛtarāṣṭra to picture exactly which chariot has stopped in the middle of the field.
Why is Krishna called Madhava in this verse?
Mādhava is the husband of Lakṣmī, the one with whom fortune stands. Arjuna is called only Pāṇḍava, son of his father. The pairing is deliberate. One name carries the whole weight of what is coming; the other is simply a man in his lineage — and he is standing beside Krishna.
Why do the conches matter before the battle even begins?
A conch declares who is present. The Kauravas declared numbers; Krishna and Arjuna declare a single chariot. Nothing has been fought yet, and yet the field has already been described in sound. Before your own difficulties begin, notice what you announce and who is standing with you when you announce it.
Themes in this verse
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Commentary
The other side sounded first — drums, horns, Bhishma's lion-roar, a heap of noise piled up over eleven verses. Then one chariot. White horses, two men standing on it, two conches. Sanjaya does not say their sound was louder. He says it was divine. Notice who is standing beside whom: Krishna holds the reins, Arjuna holds the bow, and neither has yet said a word about doubt. The reply to a great noise is not a greater noise. It is a clear one, made by two who are on the same chariot. When the room around you roars, ask who is driving yours.