Panchajanya
Panchajanya is the shankha of the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, one of his four primary attributes. The Panchajanya symbolises the five elements, and is considered to produce the primeval sound of creation when blown.
Literature
Mahabharata
According to the Mahabharata, Vishnu is said to have slain a daitya named Panchajana on a mountain named Chakravan, which was constructed by Vishvakarma, and to have seized the conch shell in which Panchajana had lived. The conch is named after the daitya.Bhagavad Gita
In the Bhagavad Gita, the Panchajanya is mentioned:Harivamsha
As per the Harivamsha, Krishna is described as possessing a conch shell called Panchajanya, one of his four attributes, along with the mace Kaumodaki, the disc-like weapon Sudarshana Chakra, and a lotus. The conch was used during the Kurukshetra War and, in popular tradition, is believed to have signaled both its beginning and end.Skanda Purana
The Skanda Purana features two origin legends for the conch.The Panchajanya is mentioned to be among the various substances and beings that emerged during the Samudra Manthana:
In another legend, Sandipani, the guru of Krishna, Balarama, Sudama, and Uddhava, states that his son was swallowed by a whale at Prabhasa while on a pilgrimage, and seeks his return as his dakshina. The Ocean is said to have informed Krishna of a great daitya of the name Panchajana dwelling in its depths, who had indeed swallowed the boy. Krishna slew the daitya who was in the form of a whale, and seized from within him the Panchajanya, a conch that had previously belonged to Varuna. Not finding his guru's son, Krishna descended to Naraka with Balarama and demanded his return. Yama and Chitragupta battled the deities until Brahma intervened and urged Yama to restore the boy back to life. His desire fulfilled, Brahma eulogised Krishna, prompting him to blow his conch:
Krishna and Balarama then returned the son back to his father, who rejoiced in surprise and hailed their names.