Shloka 40
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय 54: फल्गुन-प्रतिरोधः, सौबली-व्यूह-विध्वंसः, दुर्योधन-भीष्म-संवादः
व्यूह: क्रौज्चारुणो नाम सर्वशत्रुनिबर्हण: । यं बृहस्पतिरिन्द्राय तदा देवासुरेडब्रवीत्
vyūhaḥ krauñcāruṇo nāma sarvaśatrunibarhaṇaḥ | yaṃ bṛhaspatir indrāya tadā devāsura-saṅgare 'bravīt ||
Sañjaya said: “There is a battle-formation called Krauñcāruṇa, a destroyer of all enemies—one that Bṛhaspati once taught to Indra during the ancient war between the gods and the demons.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that warfare in the epic is not mere violence but a disciplined science transmitted through authoritative teachers; power is framed as legitimate when guided by learned counsel and traditional knowledge.
Sanjaya describes a specific troop-formation—Krauñcāruṇa—highlighting its reputed effectiveness and legitimizing it by tracing its origin to Bṛhaspati’s instruction to Indra in the primordial Deva–Asura conflict.