Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 16
अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः।
नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ।।
नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ।।
anantavijayaṁ rājā kuntī-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ
nakulaḥ sahadevaśca sughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau
also searched as "anantavijayam raja kuntiputro yudhishthirah"
Translation
King Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conch, Anantavijaya, and Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conchs, Sughosa and Manipuspaka.
Vāṇi's rendering
King Yudhishthira blew Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva sounded Sughosha and Manipushpaka.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अनन्तविजयम्ananta-vijayam | the conch named Anantavijaya, 'endless victory' |
| राजाrājā | the king |
| कुन्तीपुत्रःkuntī-putraḥ | the son of Kunti |
| युधिष्ठिरःyudhiṣṭhiraḥ | Yudhishthira |
| नकुलःnakulaḥ | Nakula |
| सहदेवःsahadevaḥ | Sahadeva (sandhi: sahadevaś before ca) |
| चca | and |
| सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौsughoṣa-maṇipuṣpakau | the two conches Sughosha, 'sweet-sounding', and Manipushpaka, 'jewel-blossom' |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 16 mean?
Yudhishthira, eldest of the Pāṇḍavas, answers Krishna's and Arjuna's conches with Anantavijaya, and the twins Nakula and Sahadeva follow with Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka. The line records who stood, and with what voice. Every brother is named, none is background. The reply to a challenge is a whole family sounding at once.
What does the line 'Anantavijayam raja kuntiputro Yudhishthirah' say?
It names the king, his mother, and his conch in a single breath. Kuntī-putra — son of Kunti — binds Yudhishthira to the same mother as Arjuna and Bhima, and to Karṇa across the field. The conch is Anantavijaya, endless victory, sounded by a man who has not yet won anything at all.
Why are the conches given names in the Gita?
A named conch is a declared intention. Anantavijaya, Sughoṣa, Maṇipuṣpaka — endless victory, sweet sound, jewel-blossom. These were chosen long before Kurukshetra, in peacetime, and they are blown now unchanged. What you name your effort while it is still uncertain becomes the note you keep sounding when it is not.
Why does the verse mention Nakula and Sahadeva at all?
Because they were there. The twins never lead an army in the epic's memory, never take the famous vow, never speak in the Gītā. Yet Sanjaya counts them by name and gives each his conch. Standing in your place, unwatched, is not a lesser form of courage. It is the ordinary form of it.
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
Anantavijaya — endless victory. That is what the king who lost everything at dice blows into the morning air, before a single arrow flies. He has no victory yet. He has a name for one. Nakula and Sahadeva, the youngest, the least sung, sound Sughosha and Manipushpaka — sweet-toned, jewel-blossomed — and the field hears them exactly as loudly as it heard Bhima. Names given before the fact are not boasts; they are what a person decides to stand for while the outcome is still unknown. You will not be told beforehand how it ends either. Sound your note anyway, and let the field hear it.