Shloka 39
भीष्मसेनासंनिवेशः — Bhīṣma’s Mobilization, Omens, and the Kaurava Array
द्रोणेन विहितो राजन् राज्ञा शान्तनवेन च । तथैवाचार्यपुत्रेण बाह्लीकेन कृपेण च,द्रोणाचार्य, राजा शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म, आचार्यपुत्र अश्वत्थामा, बाह्नीक और कृपाचार्यने उस सैन्यव्यूहका निर्माण किया था
droṇena vihito rājan rājñā śāntanavena ca | tathaivācārya-putreṇa bāhlīkena kṛpeṇa ca ||
Sañjaya said: O King, that battle-formation was arranged by Droṇa, and also by the Śāntanava king (Bhīṣma); likewise by the teacher’s son (Aśvatthāman), by Bāhlīka, and by Kṛpa. The verse makes plain that the Kaurava array was no accident, but a deliberate design of the most senior and authoritative commanders—an ethically weighty reminder that war is shaped by conscious counsel and responsibility, not by fate alone.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral responsibility in warfare: major outcomes arise from deliberate planning by recognized authorities. Senior commanders and teachers are accountable for the structures they create, not merely the soldiers who execute them.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava battle-formation was constructed under the direction of leading figures—Droṇa, Bhīṣma, Aśvatthāman, Bāhlīka, and Kṛpa—emphasizing the organized, counsel-driven nature of the Kaurava war effort.