Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 1, Verse 18
द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते।
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक्।।
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक्।।
drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivī-pate
saubhadraśca mahā-bāhuḥ śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak
also searched as "drupado draupadeyashcha sarvashah prithivipate"
Translation
Drupada and the sons of Draupadi, as well as the strong-armed son of Subhadra—all, O King, blew their respective conchs again and again.
Vāṇi's rendering
Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and Subhadra's strong-armed son — each sounded his own conch.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| द्रुपदःdrupadaḥ | Drupada, king of Pāñcāla, father of Draupadī |
| द्रौपदेयाःdraupadeyāḥ | the sons of Draupadī (sandhi: draupadeyāḥ + ca becomes draupadeyāśca) |
| चca | and |
| सर्वशःsarvaśaḥ | all of them, on every side |
| पृथिवीपतेpṛthivī-pate | O lord of the earth — Sanjaya addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra |
| सौभद्रःsaubhadraḥ | Subhadrā's son, Abhimanyu (sandhi: saubhadraḥ + ca becomes saubhadraśca) |
| चca | and |
| महाबाहुःmahā-bāhuḥ | the strong-armed one |
| शङ्खान्śaṅkhān | conches |
| दध्मुःdadhmuḥ | blew (sandhi: śaṅkhān + dadhmuḥ joined as śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ) |
| पृथक्pṛthak | separately |
| पृथक्pṛthak | separately — the repetition means each one, on his own |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1 Verse 18 mean?
Sanjaya finishes naming the Pāṇḍava warriors — Drupada, the sons of Draupadī, and Abhimanyu, Subhadrā's strong-armed son. Each blew his own conch, pṛthak pṛthak, separately. The verse insists on the separateness. An army is gathered, but the sound rises one man at a time, each answering for himself.
What does drupado draupadeyashcha sarvashah prithivipate mean?
It means: Drupada and the sons of Draupadī, from every side, O lord of the earth. The address pṛthivī-pate is aimed at Dhṛtarāṣṭra, the blind king who asked what was happening on the field. Sanjaya answers him with names and with the noise of conches he will never hear.
Why does the verse repeat prithak prithak?
Because the Gītā wants you to hear individuals, not a mass. Pṛthak pṛthak — separately, separately. Each warrior sounds his own note at his own moment. Courage is never collective at the root; it is one person deciding, and then another, until the field is full of sound.
Who is Saubhadra in this verse?
Saubhadra is Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā and Arjuna, called mahā-bāhu, strong-armed. He is the youngest named here and among the first to die in the war ahead. His conch sounds beside his grandfather's generation. Youth and age lift the same instrument, and neither can do it for the other.
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Commentary
Pṛthak pṛthak — separately, separately. The Sanskrit repeats the word, and the repetition is the whole point. This is not one army sounding one horn. It is Drupada, then Draupadī's sons, then Abhimanyu, each lifting his own conch to his own mouth. Sanjaya is counting them out for a blind king who wanted a summary and is getting names instead. No one blows another man's conch. Whatever you have been given to sound — the work, the word, the courage nobody else can supply on your behalf — it makes its noise only when you lift it.