The echoes resonate in all directions, and hints of future battles intertwine.

King Kuru, Shishkandi, Drishtadyumna, Virata, Satyaki, Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and Abhimanyu. Many heroes blow their conch shells from all directions.

Here, what is important is not memorizing the names. It's that Krishna and his five brothers, along with the entire Pandava army, expressed a single will through sound. At the same time, Shikhandi's name contains a foreshadowing that would later lead to Bhishma's demise. Within the sounds of the opening battle, the fate this war would follow was already beginning to unfold.

Japanese Translation from the Gita Press Edition - Chapter 1, Verses 17-18: "The Heroes of the Pandava Army"

kāśya and Parameṣvas, Śikhandī and Mahāratha, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Virāta, Sātyaki, and Aparājita. || 17 ||

Drupada and Draupadeyā are also present, O ruler of the earth. Saubhadra, with great arms, and Śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ are separate. || 18 ||

Translation

The king Kashi, who was an excellent archer, Maharathi Shikhandi, Drishtadyumna, Virata, The invincible Satyaki, Drupada, The five sons of Draupadi, And Abhimanyu, the strong-armed son of Subhadra.

They all, O King of the Earth, from every direction, blew their respective conch shells.

Annotative Translation

Shikandee and Drishtadyumna were both sons of King Dhrupada.

Shikandee was the elder brother, and Drishtadhyumna was the younger brother.

First, King Dorpada did not have any children.

There, he worshipped Lord Shiva in order to obtain an heir.

When Shiva, pleased with the worship, said to grant a wish, King Drupada wished for a son.

Shiva said that he would have a daughter.

However, Dolpada replied that he was looking for a son, not a daughter.

Then, Shiva said that the girl would later transform into a son.

As a result of this blessing, Dolpad King eventually had a daughter.

However, he completely believed in the words of Lord Shiva, and announced it as the birth of his son.

The queen also took care to conceal the truth about the child's gender.

The girl was given the name Shikandee, and she was raised as a boy, receiving all of the education and training necessary for a prince.

Eventually, that so-called "prince" married the daughter of King Hiranyavarman of Dhasharn.

Hiranayavarma's daughter, who began living with her husband, learned that Sikandi was a woman, and sadly told her father about it.

King Hiranyavarman was furious upon hearing this news. He immediately declared war on King Drupada, and decided to take Drupada's life as punishment for his wrongdoing.

The King Dolpada, who tried to avoid war, relied on worshiping the gods.

Meanwhile, Sikandee was deeply saddened by the unfolding of unfortunate events, and decided to take his own life in the forest. He secretly left the palace.

There, he met a Yaksha named Sterner Karna.

The Yaksha, possessing supernatural powers, out of pity, granted Shikandi his masculinity for a limited period, while taking on Shikandi's femininity in return.

This is the story of how Sikandee transformed from a woman into a man.

After that, Shikhandi returned to the kingdom. He assured his parents that he was no longer a woman, and appeased his father-in-law, Hiranayavarmā, by showing proof of his masculinity.

Due to Kubera's curse, Sterner Karna was destined to remain a woman for his entire life.

Therefore, Sikandhi no longer needed to regain his masculinity, and he remained a male for his entire life.

Bheeshma knew about this history of Shikhandi.

Therefore, I always refused to attack him as an enemy.

Shikandee was a great hero and warrior, and he was the Maharat among the warriors.

On the final day of the battle of Kurukshetra, Arjuna placed him in front as a shield, attacked Bhishma, and put an end to the old warrior's movements.

The other heroes mentioned in these two sections have already been introduced to the reader.

In this section, the use of the word "sarvaśaḥ" indicates that Sanjay is conveying that not only Krishna, the five Pandavas, King Duryodhana, and the heroes mentioned in the previous verse, but also other warriors (rati, maharati, atirati) present in the Pandava army, each blew their respective conch shells.