Shloka 13
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
पितामहमभिप्रेक्ष्य धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिर: । वाग्यत: प्रययौ येन प्राडुमुखो रिपुवाहिनीम्
pitāmaham abhiprekṣya dharmarājo yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | vāgyataḥ prayayau yena prāṅmukho ripuvāhinīm ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing the Grandsire, Dharma-king Yudhiṣṭhira—restraining his speech—set out toward him, facing east, in the direction of the enemy host. The moment underscored Yudhiṣṭhira’s ethical gravity: even at the brink of battle he approached the revered elder with disciplined silence, guided by dharma rather than impulse.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, dharma requires inner discipline and reverence: Yudhiṣṭhira restrains speech (vāg-yataḥ) and approaches the elder Bhīṣma with solemn self-control, showing that righteous conduct is not suspended by conflict.
On the battlefield, Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, seeing Bhīṣma, proceeds toward him in silence, facing east and moving in the direction of the enemy host—an approach that anticipates seeking permission/blessings from the revered grandsire before battle.