Why the Little Conch?

Aged thirteen, I remember reading a passage from ‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding . In the story, the young boys are stranded on a deserted island, left to survive without adults. Trying to call their group to order for a meeting, one boy blows a large conch that he has found on the beach. I was struck, by the familiarity of this action. It seemed an almost ‘Vedic’ thing to do!

 

Art by Gundica Day

Of course, he had the right idea. The sound of a conch shell being blown is like no other; simultaneously soft and rounded, but completely penetrating. It is a divya dhwani – a divine sound, that glorifies, protects, celebrates and purifies the consciousness of all who hear it.

At the beginning of the Bhagavad Gita, we hear of how Lord Krishna’s conch, named Panchajanya, and Arjuna’s conch, Devadatta were blown, and how the sound ‘…became uproarious. Vibrating both in the sky and on the earth, it shattered the hearts of the sons of Dhrtarastra…this is due to the Pandavas and their confidence in Lord Krishna. One who takes shelter of the Supreme Lord has nothing to fear, even in the midst of the greatest calamity.’ (BG 1.19)

 

As devotees of this same Supreme Lord, we aim to be like conch shells. We are merely instruments to be utilised in Krishna’s service; vessels to carry and pour out the divine message of our eternal master, Srila Prabhupada. Our greatest goal, is that every sound emanating from our mouths is spiritual and Krishna conscious; whether it be singing his glories loudly in kirtan, chanting his names quietly at all times of the day, discussing his pastimes or telling everyone we meet about him.

But this is often much harder than it sounds. At least for me, it’s a goal that I am painfully far from. My little conch doesn’t always blow very loudly; or sometimes not at all. But I’m praying, that one day, it will…for now, it’s a work in progress…