O King! The king of Kashi, wielder of an excellent bow, and the great warrior Shikhandi, along with 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 explanation—'Kashyaśca parameṣvāsaḥ...śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthakpṛthak'—The great warrior Shikhandi was very valiant. 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 valiant. During the war, he entered the discus 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. Due to a blow on the head from a mace wielded by Dushasana's son, he died.
In describing the blowing of conches, Sanjaya mentioned only Bhishma's name from among the heroes of the Kaurava army, and from the heroes of the Pandava army, he took the names of eighteen warriors including Lord Shri Krishna, Arjuna, Bhima, etc. From this, it appears that in Sanjaya's mind there is no respect for the side of unrighteousness (the Kaurava army). Therefore, he does not consider it appropriate to describe the side of unrighteousness in greater detail. However, because in his mind there is respect for the side of righteousness (the Pandava army) and because there is a feeling of reverence towards Lord Shri Krishna and the Pandavas, he considers it appropriate to describe their side in greater detail, and he finds joy in describing their side alone.
Connection—What effect did the blowing of conches by the Pandava army have on the Kaurava army—this is stated in the following verse.
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