संजय उवाच
सेनापत्यं तु संप्राप्य भारद्वाजो महारथः ॥
युयुत्सुर् व्यूह्य सैन्यानि प्रायात् तव सुतैः सह ॥
सैन्धवश् च कलिङ्गश् च विकर्णश् च तवात्मजः ॥
दक्षिणं पार्श्वम् आस्थाय समतिष्ठन्त दंशिताः ॥
प्रपक्षः शकुनिस् तेषां प्रवरैर् हयसादिभिः ॥
ययौ गान्धारकैः सार्धं विमलप्रासयोधिभिः ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
senāpatyaṃ tu saṃprāpya bhāradvājo mahārathaḥ ||
yuyutsur vyūhya sainyāni prāyāt tava sutaiḥ saha ||
saindhavaś ca kaliṅgaś ca vikarṇaś ca tavātmajaḥ ||
dakṣiṇaṃ pārśvam āsthāya samatiṣṭhanta daṃśitāḥ ||
prapakṣaḥ śakunis teṣāṃ pravarair hayasādibhiḥ ||
yayau gāndhārakaiḥ sārdhaṃ vimalaprāsayodhibhiḥ ||
Having received the rank of commander, the son of Bharadvaja [Drona], the great chariot-warrior eager for battle, arrayed the troops and set forth together with your sons. Saindhava [Jayadratha], the king of Kalinga, and your son Vikarna, clad in armor, took their stand on the right wing. Their flanking guard was Shakuni with his finest horsemen, together with the Gandharans fighting with gleaming lances.
e303d7195e0c · published Jul 19, 2026, 2:46:26 PM UTC
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The description of the battle array reveals order and design even in war: destruction itself proceeds by rule, with wings and flanking guards carefully reckoned. Here is seen a mark of kshatriya-dharma — battle is not chaos but ordered action, in which each is given his place. Yet the order of the formation does not sanctify the purpose of the campaign: a flawlessly arrayed army may still march for an unrighteous cause. The verse teaches that outward coordination and order are in themselves morally neutral — their worth is determined by what they serve; and that the fearsome discipline of an army gathered for adharma is only an orderly preparation for its own destruction.