Shloka 1
Chapter 19: Prativyūha of the Pāṇḍavas — Vajra (Acala) Formation and Dawn Omens
पम्प बछ। अऑ-्-क्ााज एकोनविशतितमो< ध्याय: व्यूहनिर्माणके विषयमें युधिष्ठदिर और अर्जुनकी बातचीत
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | sūryodaye sañjaya ke nu pūrva yuyutsavo hṛṣyamāṇā ivāsan | māmakā vā bhīṣma-netrāḥ samīpe pāṇḍavā vā bhīma-netrās tadānīm ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “At sunrise, Sañjaya, just before the battle began, were the warriors on my side—looking to Bhīṣma as their guiding eye—filled with exhilaration? Or were the Pāṇḍavas then, with Bhīma as their focal leader, the ones who were exultant?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how leadership shapes collective courage: armies take their emotional tone from the figure they ‘look through’—Bhīṣma or Bhīma—suggesting that inner steadiness and righteous confidence (dharma-aligned morale) are as decisive as numbers.
On the morning the battle is about to commence, Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about which side appeared more exhilarated—his Kauravas under Bhīṣma’s command or the Pāṇḍavas under Bhīma’s prominence—revealing his concern over omens, confidence, and the balance of advantage.