Verse 16 - 18
"King Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, blew his conchshell, the Ananta-vijaya, Nakula and Sahadeva blew the Sughosa and Manipuspaka.
That great archer the King of Kasi, the great fighter Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata, the unconquerable Satyaki,
Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the others, O King, such as the mighty-armed son of Subhadra, all blew their respective conchshells "
Transliteration:
a-na-nta-vi-ja-yam rA-jA ku-ntI-pu-trO yu-dhi-SHThi-raH | na-ku-laH sa-ha-daE-va-shca su-gho-SHa-ma-Ni-pu-SHpa-kau ||16||
kA-shya-shca pa-ra-maE-SHvA-saH shi-kha-NDI ca ma-hA-ra-thaH | dhRe-SHta-dyu-mnO vi-rATa-shca sA-tya-ki-shcA-pa-rA-ji-taH ||17||
dru-pa-dO drau-pa-daE-yA-shca sa-rva-shaH pRe-thi-vI-pa-taE | sau-bha-dra-shca ma-hA-bA-huH sha-n~khAn da-dhmuh pRe-tha-kpRe-thak ||18||
Analysis:
This describes the sounding of conches by warriors of pandavas, "which means the signal for starting the war". It is to be noted that the first call was from the side of Duryodhan. Krishna, Arjuna and other pandavas did not initiate a war, they only responded to the actions of Kauravs.
Verse 16, 17 and 18 Contributed by Roopa Srinivas.
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