Chapter 1, Verse 19
sa ghoṣo dhārtarāṣṭrānāṁ
hṛdayāni vyadārayat
nabhaśca prthivīm caiva tumulo'bhyanunādayan
That tumultuous uproar, resounding through earth and sky, tore the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra.
When all the conches of all the Pandava heroes sounded together, the sound was so powerful, so deep and dreadful that it filled all the regions of heaven and earth. Even Indra was scared. This sound echoed, spreading in all regions causing terror and fright to the sons of Dhritarashtra and the other fighters. At that moment they all felt, "Oh my goodness, this sound is too strong!" At that moment, the soul inside each of them knew that it was the end. They felt their hearts being torn and great oppression inside of them. When you go on your spiritual path, with full force, this power will remove all negative things. If you don't let the negativity take control, if you don't concentrate on the negativity, but concentrate on moving forward on your spiritual path, that strength will erase everything. There is not much to do, really, just one thing: have confidence, have trust and the rest, He will take care of. This is the assurance that He gives. In the Bhakti Yoga chapter later on, you'll see that Krishna says, "Whoever surrenders to Me, I am more surrendered to them. And I give them strength and power."
This doesn't mean that when you start your spiritual practice, it happens only for yourself. When you start to dive into this ocean of Love that you have inside of you, everybody around you will profit from that even the people who don't want to, the people who are negative. If you are positive, it will beam forth like a light in the darkness. In brightness, you don't notice light, but in darkness, the light shines much more. That's what is explained here. This sound was so terrible and frightening to the ones who had fear inside. This is how one has to go on the spiritual path. This is how one has to move in life, with full force. One has to always be ready!
When you go with full force on your spiritual path, nothing can move you! Nothing that people can say, nothing that people can do, can make you move from your path. That's what Christ said about having faith. About building your faith on a rock so that nothing can move you! If you build your house on sand, it will break. If you build your house on a rock, it will be very strong. This sound that they were talking about is the inner strength. When you have inner strength, it's not only in your heart. Your whole being will be full of energy! From the head to the toes, you'll be full of energy. Because that energy is not from the outside, it is from deep within. This energy is from God Himself, from Krishna Himself: it beams out and gives you the support, gives you the strength to move forward. But you should not look at your weakness, even if you see the weakness. It is part of you, yes! But hang onto your strength!
Here the sons of Dhritarashtra were looking at their weaknesses. When they saw the power of the Pandavas arising, they started to compare. We also often compare ourselves to others: "Why is that person far more advanced in spirituality? Why is he beaming with so much joy and life?" There is this comparison that starts happening. But when there is comparison, you don't move; you are frozen, you have fear inside of you! That's what happened in the hearts of the sons of Dhritarashtra. Seeing that the Pandavas were strong and advancing, they started to have fear. Fear nothing!
Bhagavad Gita
