Shloka 15
Adhyāya 78 — Bhīṣma’s Advance, Duryodhana’s Rally, and Concurrent Duels (भीष्मस्याभ्युद्यमः, दुर्योधनस्योत्साहवचनम्, विविधयुद्धवर्णनम्)
व्यूढं दृष्टवा तु तत् सैन्यं पिता देवव्रतस्तव । क्रौज्चेन महता राजन प्रत्यव्यूहत वाहिनीम्,राजन्! तब आपके ताऊ देवव्रतने पाण्डवोंका वह व्यूह देखकर उसके मुकाबिलेमें अपनी सेनाको महान् क्रौंचव्यूहके रूपमें संगठित किया
vyūḍhaṃ dṛṣṭvā tu tat sainyaṃ pitā devavratas tava | krauñcena mahatā rājan pratyavyūhata vāhinīm ||
Sañjaya said: O King, when Devavrata (Bhīṣma), your father’s brother, saw that army drawn up in formation, he counter-arrayed his own host, organizing it into the great Krauñca (crane) battle-formation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined response and responsibility in leadership: a commander must read the opponent’s formation and counter it appropriately, acting with steadiness and duty-bound competence within the rules of warfare (dharma-yuddha).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, seeing the opposing army arranged in a particular formation, responds by organizing the Kaurava forces into the great Krauñca battle-array as a strategic counter-deployment.