O King! The king of Kashi, wielder of a great bow, and the great warrior Shikhandi, as well as Dhrishtadyumna and King Virata, and the invincible Satyaki, King Drupada and the five sons of Draupadi, and Subhadra's son Abhimanyu, possessing long arms—all these blew their respective conches from all sides.
Commentary: The great warrior Shikhandi was very brave. In a previous birth, he was a woman (the daughter of the king of Kashi, Amba) and in this birth too, he was obtained by King Drupada in the form of a daughter. Later, this same Shikhandi obtained manhood from the yaksha named Sthunakarna and became a man. Bhishma knew all these facts and considered Shikhandi to be a woman. For this reason, he would not shoot arrows at him. During the war, Arjuna placed him in front and shot arrows at Bhishma, causing him to fall from his chariot.
Arjuna's son Abhimanyu was very brave. During the war, he entered the Chakravyuha formation created by Drona and, through his prowess, destroyed many heroes. Finally, six great warriors of the Kaurava army unjustly surrounded him and attacked him with weapons. A blow from a mace on his head by the son of Dushasana caused his death.
In describing the blowing of conches, Sanjaya mentioned only Bhishma's name among the brave warriors of the Kaurava army, and among the brave warriors of the Pandava army, he mentioned the names of eighteen heroes including Lord Shri Krishna, Arjuna, Bhima, etc. From this, it appears that Sanjaya does not hold respect for the side of unrighteousness (the Kaurava army) in his mind. Therefore, he does not consider it appropriate to describe the side of unrighteousness in greater detail. However, because he holds respect for the side of righteousness (the Pandava army) in his mind and has reverence for Lord Shri Krishna and the Pandavas, he considers it appropriate to describe their side in greater detail and finds joy in describing their side alone.
Connection: What effect the blowing of conches by the Pandava army had on the Kaurava army is stated in the following verse.
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