Three conch shells, and three character portraits that overlap with them.

Krishna's Panchajanya, Arjuna's Devadatta, and Bhima's Poundra. In this passage, three conch shells appear with their names attached. Each name holds the story of its owner within it.

Krishna, the main character of sensations; Arjuna, who conquered wealth; and Bima, who possesses immense power. These three sounds are not the same, but each carries the personality and mythological background of its respective figure. Rather than memorizing them as a list of names, reading about how the presence of these three appeared on the battlefield as sound allows you to see the outline of the story.

Japanese Translation from the Gita Press Edition - Chapter 1, Section 15: "The Names of the Three Conch Shells"

Pancajanyam is the name of Arjuna's conch shell, Hrishikesha is another name for Lord Krishna, Devadatta is the name of a Gandharva, and Dhananjaya is also a name for Arjuna. Paundra is the name of Bhima's mace, Dadhmau is the name of Yudhisthira's mace, Mahashankham is the name of another conch shell, Bhimakarma is an epithet of Bhima, and Vrikodara is also a name for Bhima. || 15 ||

Translation

Krishna blew his conch shell, which was named Panchajanya.

Arjuna, blew his own trumpet, which was called Devadatta.

And Bheema, who was known for his incredible bravery, blew a huge conch shell called Pandura.

Annotative Translation

"hṛṣīka" means sensation.

And the master of sensations, that is, the one who controls and directs sensations, is called Hṛṣīkeśa.

This word also represents: the joy that comes with a rich life, happiness, and a treasure trove of strength.

The master is not only a ruler of sensations, but also a source of joy that enriches life, happiness, and power.

Therefore, one of Krishna's names is Hrishikesha.

Krishna defeated a demon named Panchajana, who was in the form of a conch shell, and made it his own conch shell.

Therefore, his conch shell came to be known as "Panchajanya."

During the Rajasuya ceremony, Arjuna conquered many kingdoms and brought immense wealth to the Pandava capital.

Therefore, he obtained the name, Dananjaya, which means "one who conquers wealth."

Also, he obtained a conch shell named Devadatta from Indra, the king of the heavens.

That was when Arjuna went to heaven to fight against Nivata Kavacha and other demons.

The sound of this conch shell was extremely loud and frightening, and it made the enemy soldiers tremble with fear.

The second Pandava, Bhima, was a person with extraordinary physical strength.

His actions were extremely frightening, and they caused fear in the hearts of those who saw or heard about them.

Therefore, he became known as "Bheema, who performs awe-inspiring and courageous acts."

He was a glutton, and he possessed an extraordinary ability to digest large quantities of food.

Therefore, he obtained the name Vrikhodara.

He had a very large conch shell, and its sound echoed far away.

Therefore, it is called a "giant conch."