Shloka 33
सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions
एवं ते समयं कृत्वा कुरुपाण्डवसोमका: । विस्मयं परम जग्मु: प्रेक्षमाणा: परस्परम्,इस प्रकार नियम बनाकर कौरव, पाण्डव तथा सोमक एक-दूसरेकी ओर देखते हुए बड़े आश्वर्यचकित हुए
evaṁ te samayaṁ kṛtvā kurupāṇḍavasomakāḥ | vismayaṁ paramaṁ jagmuḥ prekṣamāṇāḥ parasparam ||
Nachdem sie so ihre gegenseitige Abmachung getroffen hatten, wurden die Kurus, die Pāṇḍavas und die Somakas—einander anblickend—vom größten Staunen ergriffen.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding force and unpredictability of a samaya (mutual compact): once a collective agreement is set, its implications can surprise even the parties who made it, reminding readers that ethical and strategic commitments in conflict carry consequences beyond immediate intent.
After establishing a stipulated arrangement among the opposing groups (Kurus, Pāṇḍavas, and their Somaka allies), they look at each other and are struck with great astonishment—signaling a tense pause and a shift in mood as the realities of the coming battle and the agreement’s effects sink in.