Shloka 5
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ७२: सैन्यगुणवर्णनम्, व्यूहरक्षा, दैव-पुरुषकारचिन्ता
(अजातशत्रुः शत्रूणां मनांसि समकम्पयत् । श्येनवद् व्यूहय तं व्यूहं धौम्यस्य वचनात् स्वयम् ।।
sa niryayau mahārāja pitā devabratas tava | mahatā rathavaṃśena saṃvṛto rathināṃ varaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: O König, da zog dein Vater Devavrata (Bhīṣma) — der Vortrefflichste unter den Wagenkämpfern — in die Schlacht hinaus, umgeben von einer gewaltigen Schar von Streitwagen. Das Bild macht deutlich, dass Ordnung und Schwung des Krieges nicht allein aus der Menge erwachsen, sondern aus der Gegenwart eines verehrten Ältesten, dessen Selbstzucht und Treue zum Kriegsrecht das Handeln des Heeres prägen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: the army’s movement is anchored in a figure of established discipline and authority (Bhīṣma). Even amid violence, conduct is framed by duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and ordered action rather than mere impulse.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma (Devavrata), the foremost chariot-warrior and Kuru patriarch, rides out to battle, surrounded by a large chariot contingent—signaling the Kaurava host’s organized advance under his command.