Shloka 4
कृत्वा व्यूहं महाराज सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हणम् । शिखण्डी सर्वसैन्यानामग्र आसीद् विशाम्पते,महाराज! प्रजानाथ! उस दिन शिखण्डी समस्त शत्रुओंका संहार करनेवाले व्यूहका निर्माण करके स्वयं सब सेनाके सामने खड़ा हुआ
kṛtvā vyūhaṃ mahārāja sarvaśatrunibarhaṇam | śikhaṇḍī sarvasainyānām agra āsīd viśāmpate ||
Sañjaya said: “O great king, after forming a battle-array meant to crush all enemies, Śikhaṇḍī stood at the very front of the entire host, O lord of the people.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: arranging forces and taking the foremost position implies responsibility and resolve, while also reminding that strategy (vyūha) is a decisive instrument whose use must be weighed within the larger frame of dharma.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śikhaṇḍī has organized a battle formation designed to overwhelm the enemy and has taken position at the head of the army, signaling the opening posture and tactical intent of the Pāṇḍava forces in the Bhīṣma campaign.