To infuse him with enthusiasm, the elder of the Kurus, the grandfather, the glorious one, blew his conchshell with a great lion’s roar

Bhīṣma’s response is generous but complex. Sañjanayan harṣam means “generating joy/enthusiasm” — not for himself, but for Duryodhana, who clearly needed reassurance. The patriarch demonstrates institutional loyalty even though his heart is with the Pāṇḍavas.

The siṃha-nāda (lion’s roar) is an acoustic signal of power and dominance. Bhīṣma’s four titles (kuru-vṛddhaḥ, elder of the Kurus; pitāmahaḥ, grandfather; pratāpavān, glorious/powerful) establish his unprecedented authority. His conch, sounded first, marks the formal beginning of the conflict.