Shloka 20

Sainyavinyāsa–Lakṣaṇa (Disposition of Armies and Battlefield Omens) | सैन्यविन्यास–लक्षणम्

Devanagari script

अनन्तरूपा ध्वजिनी नरेन्द्र भीमा त्वदीया न तु पाण्डवानाम्‌ | तां चैव मन्ये बृहतीं दुष्प्रधर्षा यस्या नेता केशवदश्चार्जुनश्ष

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

anantarūpā dhvajinī narendra bhīmā tvadīyā na tu pāṇḍavānām |

tāṃ caiva manye bṛhatīṃ duṣpradharṣāṃ yasyā netā keśavadaś cārjunaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sagte: „O König, dein Heer war groß, in vielen Formationen aufgestellt und furchterregend an Macht; das Heer der Pāṇḍavas war nicht so. Doch halte ich jenes Heer für wahrhaft groß und unbezwingbar, dessen Führer Keśava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) und Arjuna sind. Denn wo ein gerechtes Anliegen von göttlicher Weisheit und disziplinierter Heldenkraft geleitet wird, entscheiden weder bloße Zahl noch äußerer Schrecken über den Sieg.“

Word by Word

• {'anantarūpā': 'of endless/many forms

• manifold in appearance and arrangement', 'dhvajinī': 'army

• host (lit. ‘bannered force’)', 'narendra': 'king

• lord of men (address to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)', 'bhīmā': 'terrible, formidable, awe-inspiring', 'tvadīyā': 'yours

• belonging to you', 'na tu': 'but not

• whereas not', 'pāṇḍavānām': 'of the Pāṇḍavas', 'tām': 'that (army)', 'caiva': 'and indeed

• and surely', 'manye': 'I think

• I consider', 'bṛhatīm': 'great, vast, eminent', 'duṣpradharṣām': 'hard to assail

• difficult to overpower', 'yasyāḥ': 'whose', 'netā': 'leader, commander', 'keśavaḥ': 'Keśava, an epithet of Kṛṣṇa', 'ca': 'and', 'arjunaḥ': 'Arjuna'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Pāṇḍavas
• Keśava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa)
• Arjuna
• Kaurava army
• Pāṇḍava army

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sañjaya contrasts outward strength (numbers, terrifying formations) with inner strength (right leadership). He implies that an army led by Kṛṣṇa’s discerning guidance and Arjuna’s disciplined valor is ethically and strategically superior, suggesting that dharma-aligned leadership can outweigh mere magnitude.

What is happening in the narrative?

On the eve/opening of battle, Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra about the opposing forces. Though the Kaurava host appears larger and more fearsome, he judges the Pāṇḍava side as truly formidable because Kṛṣṇa (as charioteer and guide) and Arjuna stand at its head.