Significance of Shankhas 1

This is first chapter about Shankha ,there are 3 more to come ,this is just about description of shankha and to give basic idea ..

The conch shell is a major Hindu article of prayer, used as a trumpet and in order to get rid of negative energy and evil spirits. It is also used as a container for holy water ( shankha teertham ). The shankha (conch shell) mudra is also used during various tantric rituals and meditation. "Shankha" is considered to be one of the most auspicious objects that emerged from the sea during the Ksheera Sagara Samudra Manthan.

The shankha (conch-shell) is regarded sacred and auspicious in the Indian system. Like the swastika symbol ,it is an integral part of Vedic sacraments. It is blown to initiate religious ceremonies. God Vishnu is shown with a shankha in one hand and a disc (chakra) in the other. In the battlefield (Kurukshetra) of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna is said to have wielded a mighty shankha called the ’Panchajanya’. It is believed that when it is blown it announces the victory of good over evil.

Krishna’s conch shell was known as Paanchajanya, Arjuna’s Devdutta, Bhima’s Paundra, Yudhisthira’s Anantavijaya, Nakula’s Sughosa and Sahadeva’s was known as Manipushpaka.As it has many names in our puranas.

In ancient India, each village was presided over by a main temple deity and several smaller ones. During performing the Aarti (devotional prayer-song after pooja worship) and before and after all the important sacraments and on sacred occasions, the blowing of conch was a must. Since villages were generally small, the sound of the conch would be heard all over the village. People who could not make it to the temple were enjoined to stop their work, at least for a few seconds, and mentally bow to the Lord. The conch sound served to awaken people’s minds to a prayerful attitude even in the middle of their busy daily routine.

Using tremendous lung-power, stamina and sustained breath control the player blows air into the shell to produce a powerful resounding reverberation that is deemed to match with the primal sound of creation. While the shankha has but one note, by controlling the breath, the player can alter the magnitude, timbre and resonance of the note. Though it does not have much application as a musical instrument, the vibrant, sonorous sound of shankha inspires valor, courage, enthusiasm and inner spirit. The holy Gurbani of the Sikhs also recognizes these effects as "Sankhan ki dhun ghantan ki kar phulan ki barkha barkhavae ...". (The conch and the bell produce blissful sounds…).