Shloka 1

Devanagari script

सप्ताशीतितमोब ध्याय: कौरव-सैनिकोंका उत्साह तथा आचार्य द्रोणके द्वारा चक्रशकटवब्यूहका निर्माण संजय उवाच तस्यां निशायां व्युष्टायां द्रोण: शस्त्रभूतां वर: । स्वान्यनीकानि सर्वाणि प्राक्रामद्‌ व्यूहितुं ततः,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्‌! वह रात बीतनेपर प्रात:काल शणस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ द्रोणाचार्यने अपनी सारी सेनाओंका व्यूह बनाना आरम्भ किया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | tasyāṃ niśāyāṃ vyuṣṭāyāṃ droṇaḥ śastrabhūtāṃ varaḥ | svāny anīkāni sarvāṇi prākrāmad vyūhituṃ tataḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: O König, als jene Nacht verstrichen und der Morgen gekommen war, begann Droṇa—der Vortrefflichste unter den Kriegern, gleichsam eine Waffe selbst—alle seine Abteilungen zur Schlachtordnung aufzustellen.

Word by Word

संजयःSanjaya

उवाचsaid

तस्याम्in that

निशायाम्night

व्युष्टायाम्having passed / ended

द्रोणःDrona

शस्त्रभूताम्made into a weapon / weapon-like

वरःexcellent, best

स्वानिhis own

अनीकानिarmies, divisions

सर्वाणिall

प्राक्रामत्set about, began, proceeded

व्यूहितुम्to arrange in battle-array

ततःthen, thereafter

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Dhrtarashtra (implied by 'O King')

Drona

Kaurava army divisions (anīkāni)

battle formation (vyūha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, action is not portrayed as mere impulse: it is organized under leadership and strategy. The verse highlights disciplined command—how collective force is deliberately arranged—inviting reflection on responsibility and the ethical weight borne by those who direct violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

After the night ends and morning arrives, Droṇa begins deploying all his troop-divisions into a formal battle array (vyūha), signaling the start of planned operations for the day’s fighting.