Shloka 26

सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions

Devanagari script

ततस्ते समयं चक्र: कुरुपाण्डवसोमका:

Transliteration

tataste samayaṃ cakruḥ kurupāṇḍavasomakāḥ

Translation

Daraufhin trafen die Kurus, die Pāṇḍavas und die Somakas untereinander eine Vereinbarung: Sie setzten die festgelegten Bedingungen und das gemeinsame Verständnis darüber fest, wie der bevorstehende Krieg geführt werden sollte—ein Zeichen dafür, dass selbst im Krieg anerkannte Konventionen und gemeinschaftliche Beschlüsse gelten.

Word by Word

ततःthen/thereafter

तेthey/those (people)

समयम्agreement/compact

चक्रुःmade/formed

कुरु-पाण्डव-सोमकाःthe Kurus, the Pandavas, and the Somakas

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kurus

Pāṇḍavas

Somakas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights that even amid the approach of war, rulers and armies recognized binding conventions (samaya). This points to a dharmic ideal: conflict should be governed by agreed rules and restraint rather than unchecked violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the opposing forces assemble, the Kurus, Pāṇḍavas, and their allies (Somakas) establish an agreement—an understanding about the conduct or terms surrounding the coming battle.