Osho’s Commentary

The conches sound, the great symphony of war begins. And here too, there is a profound difference. Bhishma blows his conch to cheer Duryodhana, to encourage him. His is the first sound. The Kauravas are the aggressors. Their sound is an action. And then, Krishna and the Pandavas blow their conches. Their sound is a response, a reaction. There is a deep psychological difference. The one who strikes the first blow is always the one who is more impatient, more filled with rage, more unconscious. The one who responds can do so from a place of quiet strength, of joyful acceptance of the challenge. Krishna’s response is not born of anger. It is a joyful acceptance of what is. Life has brought war to the doorstep; he accepts it. It is a response from a place of totality. And when the divine accepts a challenge, the whole of existence echoes that acceptance. The sound of the Pandava conches, it is said, filled the heavens and the earth, and shattered the hearts of their enemies. Why? Because it was not just the sound of a few men. It was the sound of existence itself, responding to the challenge of a small, egoistic part.