BG 01.15 pancajanyam hrsikeso... cited

Expressions researched:
"bhima-karma vrkodarah" |"devadattam dhananjayah" |"pancajanyam hrsikeso" |"paundram dadhmau maha-sankham"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 1.15, Translation and Purport:

Lord Kṛṣṇa blew His conchshell, called Pāñcajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhīma, the voracious eater and performer of herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell, called Pauṇḍra.

Lord Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Hṛṣīkeśa in this verse because He is the owner of all senses. The living entities are part and parcel of Him, and therefore the senses of the living entities are also part and parcel of His senses. The impersonalists cannot account for the senses of the living entities, and therefore they are always anxious to describe all living entities as senseless, or impersonal. The Lord, situated in the hearts of all living entities, directs their senses. But He directs in terms of the surrender of the living entity, and in the case of a pure devotee He directly controls the senses. Here on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra the Lord directly controls the transcendental senses of Arjuna, and thus His particular name of Hṛṣīkeśa. The Lord has different names according to His different activities. For example, His name is Madhusūdana because He killed the demon of the name Madhu; His name is Govinda because He gives pleasure to the cows and to the senses; His name is Vāsudeva because He appeared as the son of Vāsudeva; His name is Devakī-nandana because He accepted Devakī as His mother; His name is Yaśodā-nandana because He awarded His childhood pastimes to Yaśodā at Vṛndāvana; His name is Pārtha-sārathi because He worked as charioteer of His friend Arjuna. Similarly, His name is Hṛṣīkeśa because He gave direction to Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.

Arjuna is referred to as Dhanañjaya in this verse because he helped his elder brother in fetching wealth when it was required by the king to make expenditures for different sacrifices. Similarly, Bhīma is known as Vṛkodara because he could eat as voraciously as he could perform herculean tasks, such as killing the demon Hiḍimba. So the particular types of conchshell blown by the different personalities on the side of the Pāṇḍavas, beginning with the Lord's, were all very encouraging to the fighting soldiers. On the other side there were no such credits, nor the presence of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme director, nor that of the goddess of fortune. So they were predestined to lose the battle—and that was the message announced by the sounds of the conchshells.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.15 -- London, July 15, 1973:

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

pāñcajanyaṁ hṛṣīkeśo

devadattaṁ dhanañjayaḥ

pauṇḍraṁ dadhmau mahā-śaṅkhaṁ

bhīma-karmā vṛkodaraḥ

(BG 1.15)

Translation: "Then Lord Kṛṣṇa blew His conchshell named Pāñcajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhīma, the voracious eater and performer of Herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell named Pauṇḍram."

Prabhupāda: So Vṛkodara, Bhīmasena, is advertised as voracious eater. But he can perform Herculean task also. Just like the elephant, it eats voraciously, but it gives service also. Similarly if we simply eat voraciously and we cannot give any service that is not good. We must eat sumptuously and give service also. In Bengali it is said that peṭe keli piṭhe soya (?). If one is given sufficient food in the belly, he can carry more burden on the back. So Bhīma-karma, his activities were very Herculean, very, very, difficult tasks he performed.

So everyone is named here with his task. The first name is, Kṛṣṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa. He is the master of the senses. Govinda. Go means senses. "Who gives pleasure to the senses." So Kṛṣṇa has got many names, thousands, out of which, the Kṛṣṇa name is chief, mukhya. That is described in Vedic literature. People say God has no name. That is right. He has no particular fixed name. But His names are there according to His different activities. Just like His name is Devakī-nandana. Because He accepted Devakī as His mother, therefore He is called Devakī-nandana. Similarly, He is called Nanda-nandana, Yaśodā-nandana, Vrajendra-nandana—in relationship with Nanda Mahārāja, Yaśodā, His foster father and mother. Similarly, He is sometimes named Pārtha-sārathi because He acted as the chariot driver of Arjuna. Arjuna's name is Pārtha. His mother's name is Pṛthā, Kuntī's. From Pṛthā, his name is Pārtha. From his father's name, Pāṇḍu, his name is Pāṇḍava. So in this way big personalities or anyone, they should tally, the name should tally with the activities. This is nomenclature.