When someone is not following the righteous path with his heart full of viciousness, all sorts of doubts creep up. That’s what happened to Duryodhana when he went to his teacher Droṇa and spoke those unnecessary words in the previous verses. He was perhaps trying to give himself confidence and was expecting Droṇa to reassure him. However, Droṇa remained silent throughout.
Chapter 1, Verse 12
तस्य सञ्जनयन्हर्षं कुरुवृद्धः पितामहः ।
सिंहनादं विनद्योच्चैः शङ्खं दध्मौ प्रतापवान् ॥१.१२॥
tasya sañjanayanharṣaṃ kuruvṛddhaḥ pitāmahaḥ,
siṃhanādaṃ vinadyoccaiḥ śaṅkhaṃ dadhmau pratāpavān. (1.12)
1.12. The old and experienced man in the Kuru Dynasty, Bhīṣma, blew his conch siṃhanādaṃ loudly, giving happiness and confidence to his army.
Bhīṣma listened to Duryodhana and saw Droṇa standing quietly without responding. He realized that allowing Duryodhana to continue talking would demotivate others in the army. So he went ahead and blew his conch (named siṃhanādaṃ) to give joy and confidence to his army. Bhīṣma acted after seeing the mental condition of Duryodhana. This act made the Kauravas the aggressors, officially starting the war.
Chapter 1, Verse 13
ततः शङ्खाश्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः ।
सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस्तुमुलोऽभवत् ॥१.१३॥
tataḥ śaṅkhāśca bheryaśca paṇavānakagomukhāḥ,
sahasaivābhyahanyanta sa śabdastumulo’bhavat. (1.13)
1.13. After Bhīṣma blew his conch, suddenly conches, drums, trumpets, kettle drums, and cow horns blared forth. And there was a tremendous sound.
Chapter 1, Verse 14
ततः श्वेतैर्हयैर्युक्ते महति स्यन्दने स्थितैा ।
माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शङ्खौ प्रदध्मतुः ॥१.१४॥
tataḥ śvetairhayairyukte mahati syandane sthitau,
mādhavaḥ pāṇḍavaścaiva divyau śaṅkhau pradadhmatuḥ. (1.14)
1.14. Then, Mādhava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) and Arjuna, seated in a chariot yoked by white horses, blew their divine conches.
In the way that Sañjaya uses words and descriptions, it seems pretty clear that his sympathies lie with the Pāṇḍavas. Perhaps, he is doing that to persuade Dhṛtarāṣṭra to withdraw from battle.
Chapter 1, Verse 15
पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ।
पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं भीमकर्मा वृकोदरः ॥१.१५॥
pāñcajanyaṃ hṛṣīkeśo devadattaṃ dhanañjayaḥ,
pauṇḍraṃ dadhmau mahāśaṅkhaṃ bhīmakarmā vṛkodaraḥ. (1.15)
1.15. Hrishikesha (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) blew his conch named Pāñcajanya. Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) blew his conch named Devadatta. Vṛkodara (Bhīma), who performs complicated tasks, blew his mighty conch named Pauṇḍra.
Chapter 1, Verse 16
अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ।
नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ॥१.१६॥
anantavijayaṃ rājā kuntīputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ,
nakulaḥ sahadevaśca sughoṣamaṇipuṣpakau. (1.16)
1.16. Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī, blew the conch named Anantavijayam. Nakula and Sahadeva blew their conches named Sughoṣa and Maṇipuṣpaka.
In these two verses, Sañjaya specifies the names of Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s and the Pāṇḍavas’ conches. This is in contrast to how he generically described the sound of conches, trumpets, etc., concerning the Kauravas.
Chapter 1, Verse 17–18
काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः शिखण्डी च महारथः ।
धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ॥१.१७॥
kāśyaśca parameṣvāsaḥ śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ,
dhṛṣṭadyumno virāṭaśca sātyakiścāparājitaḥ. (1.17)
द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथिवीपते ।
सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान्दध्मुः पृथक्पृथक् ॥१.१८॥
drupado draupadeyāśca sarvaśaḥ pṛthivīpate,
saubhadraśca mahābāhuḥ śaṅkhāndadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak. (1.18)
1.17–1.18. The king of Kāśī, an excellent archer; Śikhaṇḍī, who single-handedly can fight ten thousand warriors; Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Virāṭa; Sātyaki, who is unconquerable; Drupada and all sons of Draupadi; mightily armed son of Subhadrā, all blew their conches.
Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra as the Lord of the Earth. He mentions that all the other great warriors in the Pāṇḍava army also blew their conches.
Chapter 1, Verse 19
स घोषो धार्तराष्ट्राणां हृदयानि व्यदारयत् ।
नभश्च पृथिवीं चैव तुमुलो व्यनुनादयन् ॥१.१९॥
sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ hṛdayāni vyadārayat,
nabhaśca pṛthivīṃ caiva tumulo vyanunādayan. (19)
1.19. The tumultuous, thundering sound reverberated in both heaven and earth, shattering the hearts of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons.
Sañjaya has been vividly explaining the superiority of the Pāṇḍavas. He is perhaps trying to paint a clear picture in Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s mind so that he may be encouraged to call off the war at least now.
Chapter 1, Verses 20–21
अथ व्यवस्थितान्दृष्ट्वा धार्तराष्ट्रान् कपिध्वजः ।
प्रवृत्ते शस्त्रसम्पाते धनुरुद्यम्य पाण्डवः ॥१.२०॥
atha vyavasthitāndṛṣṭvā dhārtarāṣṭrān kapidhvajaḥ,
pravṛtte śastrasampāte dhanurudyamya pāṇḍavaḥ. (1.20)
अर्जुन उवाच
सेनयोरुभयोर्मध्ये रथं स्थापय मेऽच्युत ॥१.२१॥
arjuna uvāca
senayorubhayormadhye rathaṃ sthāpaya me’cyuta. (1.21)
1.20–1.21. Then, seeing Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons arrayed, Arjuna, who has Hanumān on his flag banner, ready with his weapons, taking up his bow, asked Śrī Kṛṣṇa to place his chariot in the middle of both the armies.
Chapter 1, Verse 22
यावदेतान्निरीक्षेऽहं योद्धुकामानवस्थितान् ।
कैर्मया सह योद्धव्यमस्मिन्रणसमुद्यमे ॥१.२२॥
yāvadetānnirīkṣe’haṃ yoddhukāmānavasthitān,
kairmayā saha yoddhavyamasminraṇasamudyame. (1.22)
1.22. Arjuna says to Kṛṣṇa that he wants to see those assembled who are desirous of fighting and who he should be fighting in this great combat that is about to start.
Chapter 1, Verse 23
योत्स्यमानानवेक्षेऽहं य एतेऽत्र समागताः ।
धार्तराष्ट्रस्य दुर्बुद्धेर्युद्धे प्रियचिकीर्षवः ॥१.२३॥
yotsyamānānavekṣe’haṃ ya ete’tra samāgatāḥ,
dhārtarāṣṭrasya durbuddheryuddhe priyacikīrṣavaḥ. (1.23)
1.23. He continues to say that he wants to see those who have assembled there to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana).
Arjuna was an intelligent, courageous, focused man of action who wanted to see the enemy frontlines to strategize. He was in his element as expected, without being affected by any mental dejection until this point.
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