Then, to gladden the heart of Duryodhana, the venerable grandsire of the Kurus, the mighty Bhishma, roared like a lion and blew his conch loudly.
Commentary: 'Gladdening his heart' — Although the sounding of the conch is the cause and the joy in Duryodhana's heart is the effect, and thus the description of the conch sound should come first and the joy later (i.e., it should be said, 'By blowing the conch, he gladdened Duryodhana'), it is not stated so here. Instead, it is said, 'Gladdening Duryodhana, Bhishma blew the conch.' By saying this, Sanjaya reveals the sentiment that merely by the act of Bhishma blowing his conch, joy would inevitably arise in Duryodhana's heart. It is precisely to indicate this influence of Bhishma that Sanjaya uses the epithet 'mighty' later.
'Venerable grandsire of the Kurus' — Although among the Kuru lineage, from the perspective of age, Bahlik was older than Bhishma (he was the younger brother of Bhishma's father, Shantanu), among all the elders of the Kuru clan, Bhishma was the one who knew dharma and God most profoundly. Therefore, due to his wisdom and seniority, Sanjaya uses the epithet 'venerable grandsire of the Kurus' for Bhishma.
'Mighty' — Bhishma's renunciation had a great impact. He was a renunciant of wealth and desire, meaning he neither accepted the kingdom nor married. Bhishma was highly skilled in wielding weapons and was also a great knower of the scriptures. Both these qualities of his had a profound influence on people.
When Bhishma alone brought the daughters of the King of Kashi from their *svayamvara* for his brother Vichitravirya, all the Kshatriyas assembled for the *svayamvara* attacked him. Yet, Bhishma alone defeated them all. Even before his own guru Parashurama, from whom Bhishma learned the science of weapons, he did not accept defeat. Thus, in matters of weaponry, his influence over the Kshatriyas was immense.
When Bhishma lay on the bed of arrows, Lord Shri Krishna told Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira), 'If you have any doubt regarding dharma, ask Bhishma; for the sun of scriptural knowledge is setting, meaning Bhishma is departing from this world.' Thus, in matters of scripture, his influence over others was also great.
The term 'grandsire' suggests that Dronacharya gave no reply to the cunning words spoken by Duryodhana. He understood that Duryodhana wished to deceive him through cunning and thus remained silent. However, being a grandsire, Bhishma could see the childishness within Duryodhana's cunning. Therefore, unlike Dronacharya, Grandsire Bhishma, out of paternal affection, blows his conch to gladden Duryodhana.
'Roared like a lion and blew his conch loudly' — Just as upon a lion's roar, even large animals like elephants become frightened, so too, by merely roaring, all would become fearful and Duryodhana would become delighted. With this very sentiment, Bhishma, roaring like a lion, blew his conch powerfully.
Connection — Sanjaya describes in the following verse what resulted from Grandsire Bhishma blowing his conch.
★🔗
