tasya sanjanayanharsham kuruvriddha pitaamaha |
simhanaada vinadyochchai shankamdadhamau prataapavaan || 12 ||
 
Then the valiant Bheeshma, elder of the Kuru dynasty, blew his conch loudly, a sound as mighty as the roar of a lion, delighting Duryodhana.
 
prataapavaan: valiant
kuru-vriddhaha pitaamaha: Bheeshma, an elder of the Kuru dynasty
simha-naada vinadya: roaring like a lion
shankham dadhamau: blew his conch
uchchaiha: very loudly
tasya harsham sanjayanan: increasing delight of the king
 
This is the first verse in a series of verses which indicate the beginning of the Mahabharata war. Traditionally, conches were blown to announce the start of the war. Bheeshma, sensing the fear in Duryodhana, blew his conch so that Duryodhana felt confident that his army was still on his side.
 
It also indicates the dependence of Duryodhana’s ego on external circumstances, such as the roar of conches, in order to strengthen itself, instead of an innate belief that his army was on his side.