1.15
पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ।
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ॥
pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkeśo devadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ
pauṇḍraṃ dadhmau mahāśaṅkhaṃ bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ
Three conches, three men. The verb dadhmau (दध्मौ) is singular. With the dual of 1.14 it means each of them blew his own.
The verse
Hṛṣīkeśa (हृषीकेश) blew Pāñcajanya (पाञ्चजन्य), Dhanañjaya (धनञ्जय) blew Devadatta, and Wolf-belly, of terrible deeds, blew the great conch Pauṇḍra (पौण्ड्र).
नेपालीमा
हृषीकेशले पाञ्चजन्य फुक्नुभयो, धनञ्जयले देवदत्त फुके, र भयानक कर्म गर्ने वृकोदरले ठूलो शङ्ख पौण्ड्र फुके।
Where it sits
Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण), Arjuna, Bhīma (भीम), in that order, each given a name that is already a small theology or a reputation. The senses' lord, the winner of wealth, the wolf-bellied. Arjuna is not the grieving man yet. He is a named conch in a line of brothers. Remember hṛṣīkeśa (हृषीकेश). In 1.21 he will be acyuta (अच्युत), and the change in the name is part of the change in the man who says it.
Split: पाञ्चजन्यम् + हृषीकेशः + देवदत्तम् + धनञ्जयः + पौण्ड्रम् + दध्मौ + महा-शङ्खम् + भीम-कर्मा + वृकोदरः
pāñcajanyam + hṛṣīkeśaḥ + devadattam + dhanañjayaḥ + pauṇḍram + dadhmau + mahā-śaṅkham + bhīma-karmā + vṛkodaraḥ
Sanskrit, in depth
The words
| देवनागरी | Word | Grammar | Sense |
|---|---|---|---|
| पाञ्चजन्यम् | pāñcajanyam | accusative | Pāñcajanya (पाञ्चजन्य), Kṛṣṇa's (कृष्ण) conch, taken from the demon Pañcajana (पञ्चजन). |
| हृषीकेशः | hṛṣīkeśaḥ | nominative | Hṛṣīkeśa (हृषीकेश). Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) as lord of the senses. hṛṣīka (हृषीक) "sense," īśa (ईश) "lord." |
| देवदत्तम् | devadattam | accusative | Devadatta, "god-given." Arjuna's conch. |
| धनञ्जयः | dhanañjayaḥ | nominative | Dhanañjaya (धनञ्जय), "winner of wealth." Arjuna. |
| पौण्ड्रम् | pauṇḍram | accusative | Pauṇḍra (पौण्ड्र), Bhīma's (भीम) conch. |
| दध्मौ | dadhmau | perfect, 3rd singular | he blew. |
| महा-शङ्खम् | mahā-śaṅkham | accusative | a great conch. Describes Pauṇḍra (पौण्ड्र). |
| भीम-कर्मा | bhīma-karmā | nominative of bhīma-karman (भीम-कर्मन्) | he of terrible deeds. |
| वृकोदरः | vṛkodaraḥ | nominative | Wolf-belly. Bhīma (भीम). |
The phrases
Three pairs, each pair a conch and the man who blows it.
pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkeśaḥ (पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशः). Before the voiced d (द्) of devadattam (देवदत्तम्), aḥ (अः) becomes o (ओ). You hear hṛṣīkeśo devadattam (हृषीकेशो देवदत्तम्).
devadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ (देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः). Arjuna's conch, then Arjuna under a hero's name.
pauṇḍraṃ dadhmau mahāśaṅkham (पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खम्) puts the verb with Bhīma's (भीम) blow, and mahāśaṅkham (महाशङ्खम्) repeats the object so you do not miss the size of it.
bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ (भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः) is Bhīma (भीम) twice. Once by what he does, once by the old name of his hunger. Two nominatives, one man, as with Bhīṣma (भीष्म) in 1.12.
Sanskrit in this line
An epithet and a name in the same case are the same person. bhīmakarmā (भीमकर्मा) and vṛkodaraḥ (वृकोदरः) do not add a second hero. Sanskrit is happy to set two nominatives side by side and let the second specify the first. When you meet kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण) in 1.28, it will be a vocative, not an epithet in the nominative. The case will tell you that someone has turned to face him.
aḥ (अः) before the voiced d (द्) of devadattam (देवदत्तम्) becomes o (ओ): hṛṣīkeśo (हृषीकेशो). Same rule as yuyudhāno virāṭaḥ (युयुधानो विराटः) in 1.4. It is now a habit.
Say it back
Three conches, three names, from memory. Then the plain names: Kṛṣṇa (कृष्ण), Arjuna, Bhīma (भीम).