Shloka 9
Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
दर्पितानां सुवेशानां बलस्थानां पताकिनाम् | शिक्षितैर्युद्धकुशलैरुपेतानां नरोत्तमै:
sañjaya uvāca | darpitānāṃ suveśānāṃ balasthānāṃ patākinām | śikṣitair yuddhakuśalair upetānāṃ narottamaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “They were proud and self-assured, finely attired, strong in their stations, and adorned with banners. They were accompanied by the best of men—well-trained and skilled in warfare.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly contrasts outward splendor and martial competence with the inner moral risk of pride (darpa) and the escalating inevitability of conflict; it frames war as driven not only by duty and strategy but also by display, confidence, and human passions.
Sañjaya describes a contingent of warriors: proud, well-adorned, banner-bearing, and supported by expertly trained, battle-skilled elite men—setting the scene for the intensification of forces on the battlefield.