धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
सूर्योदये संजय के नु पूर्वं; युयुत्सवो हृष्यमाणा इवासन् ॥
मामका वा भीष्मनेत्राः समीके; पाण्डवा वा भीमनेत्रास् तदानीम् ॥
केषां जघन्यौ सोमसूर्यौ सवायू; केषां सेनां श्वापदा व्याभषन्त ॥
केषां यूनां मुखवर्णाः प्रसन्नाः; सर्वं ह्य् एतद् ब्रूहि तत्त्वं यथावत् ॥
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
sūryodaye saṃjaya ke nu pūrvaṃ; yuyutsavo hṛṣyamāṇā ivāsan ||
māmakā vā bhīṣmanetrāḥ samīke; pāṇḍavā vā bhīmanetrās tadānīm ||
keṣāṃ jaghanyau somasūryau savāyū; keṣāṃ senāṃ śvāpadā vyābhaṣanta ||
keṣāṃ yūnāṃ mukhavarṇāḥ prasannāḥ; sarvaṃ hy etad brūhi tattvaṃ yathāvat ||
Dhritarashtra said: "Sanjaya, at sunrise who first appeared joyful and eager for battle: my warriors, led by Bhishma, or the Pandavas, led by Bhima? Behind whom stood the moon, the sun, and the winds? Whose army did the beasts of prey howl at? Whose young warriors' faces were clear? Tell me all of this truly, as it was."
9b3f60a21102 · published Jul 17, 2026, 8:47:28 PM UTC
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Dhritarashtra searches for the signs of fate: the luminaries, the wind, the cries of beasts, and the faces of young warriors. His question reveals the anxiety of a king who already understands that the outcome of battle is read not only in the number of troops but in the omens that accompany them.