Bhagavad Gita 1.16-18

Sanskrit

अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः । नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ॥1.16॥काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः शिखण्डी च महारथः । धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ॥1.17॥द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते । सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक् ॥1.18॥

Transliteration

anantavijayaṃ rājā kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | nakulaḥ sahadevaśca sughoṣamaṇipuṣpakau ‖1.16‖ kāśyaśca parameṣvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ | dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaśca sātyakiścāparājitaḥ ‖1.17‖ drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivīpate | saubhadraśca mahābāhuḥ śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ pṛthakpṛthak ‖1.18‖

Meaning

“King Yudhishthira blew Anantavijaya; Nakula and Sahadeva blew Sughosha and Manipushpaka. The great archer king of Kashi, the mighty warrior Shikhandi, Dhrishtadyumna, Virata, the unconquered Satyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the strong-armed son of Subhadra, all blew their conches, each his own.”

Key learning

The roll-call continues, every warrior named and sounding off. But where Duryodhana's earlier list came from anxiety, this one feels like calm solidarity, a chorus, each voice clear and aligned. The same act carries a completely different spirit depending on whether fear or steadiness is behind it.

How to apply this today

What separates an anxious team from a confident one is rarely the roster, it's the spirit they show up in. Two teams with identical talent can feel like a panic room or a calm engine. Before any group effort, quietly settle yourself, because what you bring colors everyone else's mood.

Theme: The Yoga of Arjuna's Despair

This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1: Arjuna Vishada Yoga , read all verses in this chapter.

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