ततः प्रभाते विमले स्वेनानीकेन वीर्यवान् ॥
अव्यूहत स्वयं व्यूहं भीष्मो व्यूहविशारदः ॥
मण्डलं मनुजश्रेष्ठ नानाशस्त्रसमाकुलम् ॥
संपूर्णं योधमुख्यैश् च तथा दन्तिपदातिभिः ॥
रथैर् अनेकसाहस्रैः समन्तात् परिवारितम् ॥
अश्ववृन्दैर् महद्भिश् च ऋष्टितोमरधारिभिः ॥
नागे नागे रथाः सप्त सप्त चाश्वा रथे रथे ॥
अन्व् अश्वं दश धानुष्का धानुष्के सप्त चर्मिणः ॥
एवंव्यूहं महाराज तव सैन्यं महारथैः ॥
स्थितं रणाय महते भीष्मेण युधि पालितम् ॥
दशाश्वानां सहस्राणि दन्तिनां च तथैव च ॥
रथानाम् अयुतं चापि पुत्राश् च तव दंशिताः ॥
चित्रसेनादयः शूरा अभ्यरक्षन् पितामहम् ॥
रक्ष्यमाणश् च तैः शूरैर् गोप्यमानाश् च तेन ते ॥
संनद्धाः समदृश्यन्त राजानश् च महाबलाः ॥
दुर्योधनस् तु समरे दंशितो रथम् आस्थितः ॥
व्यभ्राजत श्रिया जुष्टो यथा शक्रस् त्रिविष्टपे ॥
ततः शब्दो महान् आसीत् पुत्राणां तव भारत ॥
रथघोषश् च तुमुलो वादित्राणां च निस्वनः ॥
भीष्मेण धार्तराष्ट्राणां व्यूढः प्रत्यङ्मुखो युधि ॥
मण्डलः सुमहाव्यूहो दुर्भेद्यो ऽमित्रघातिनाम् ॥
सर्वतः शुशुभे राजन् रणे ऽरीणां दुरासदः ॥
tataḥ prabhāte vimale svenānīkena vīryavān ||
avyūhata svayaṃ vyūhaṃ bhīṣmo vyūhaviśāradaḥ ||
maṇḍalaṃ manujaśreṣṭha nānāśastrasamākulam ||
saṃpūrṇaṃ yodhamukhyaiś ca tathā dantipadātibhiḥ ||
rathair anekasāhasraiḥ samantāt parivāritam ||
aśvavṛndair mahadbhiś ca ṛṣṭitomaradhāribhiḥ ||
nāge nāge rathāḥ sapta sapta cāśvā rathe rathe ||
anv aśvaṃ daśa dhānuṣkā dhānuṣke sapta carmiṇaḥ ||
evaṃvyūhaṃ mahārāja tava sainyaṃ mahārathaiḥ ||
sthitaṃ raṇāya mahate bhīṣmeṇa yudhi pālitam ||
daśāśvānāṃ sahasrāṇi dantināṃ ca tathaiva ca ||
rathānām ayutaṃ cāpi putrāś ca tava daṃśitāḥ ||
citrasenādayaḥ śūrā abhyarakṣan pitāmaham ||
rakṣyamāṇaś ca taiḥ śūrair gopyamānāś ca tena te ||
saṃnaddhāḥ samadṛśyanta rājānaś ca mahābalāḥ ||
duryodhanas tu samare daṃśito ratham āsthitaḥ ||
vyabhrājata śriyā juṣṭo yathā śakras triviṣṭape ||
tataḥ śabdo mahān āsīt putrāṇāṃ tava bhārata ||
rathaghoṣaś ca tumulo vāditrāṇāṃ ca nisvanaḥ ||
bhīṣmeṇa dhārtarāṣṭrāṇāṃ vyūḍhaḥ pratyaṅmukho yudhi ||
maṇḍalaḥ sumahāvyūho durbhedyo 'mitraghātinām ||
sarvataḥ śuśubhe rājan raṇe 'rīṇāṃ durāsadaḥ ||
At clear dawn, mighty Bhishma, expert in battle arrays, himself arrayed his army into the mandala, o best of men. It was filled with various weapons, full of chief warriors, elephants, and foot-soldiers, surrounded on every side by many thousands of chariots and by great cavalry troops bearing rishti spears and tomara lances. Beside each elephant stood seven chariots, beside each chariot seven horses, behind each horse ten archers, and beside each archer seven shield-bearers. Thus was your army arrayed, great king, standing ready for the great battle and guarded by Bhishma in the fight. Ten thousand horses, as many elephants, ten thousand chariots, and your armed sons, heroes led by Chitrasena, guarded the grandsire. Guarded by these heroes and himself guarding them, Bhishma stood amid the mighty, armed kings. Duryodhana, clad in armor and mounted on his chariot, shone in the battle with splendor, like Shakra in the heavens. Then among your sons, o Bharata, a great roar arose: the tumultuous rattle of chariots and the sound of battle instruments. The mandala, the vast array of the Dhartarashtras, arrayed by Bhishma facing west, hard to break for slayers of foes and unapproachable by enemies, gleamed on every side in the battle, o king.
071c90c24111 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:38:21 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
On the surface everything looks flawless: precision, order, numbers, the splendor of kings, and Bhishma's protection. But after the words about the invincibility of the Pandavas with Krishna, this beauty of formation already sounds like a glitter before the collision with a higher will.