Shloka 9
अस्त्रयोगश्न युद्धे च निमित्तानि तथैव च । सर्वमेतन्मया ज्ञेयं रथस्यास्य कुटुम्बिना
astrayogaś ca yuddhe ca nimittāni tathaiva ca | sarvam etan mayā jñeyaṃ rathasyāsya kuṭumbinā ||
Sañjaya said: “Both the proper application of weapons in battle and the omens that attend it—this entire matter must be understood by me, for I am the charioteer’s attendant of this warrior.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that warfare is not only about physical prowess (astrayoga, the disciplined use of weapons) but also about attentiveness to nimittas—signs and omens believed to reveal moral and karmic currents shaping outcomes. It frames knowledge and alertness as a duty of one closely connected to the chariot and the warrior’s conduct in battle.
Sañjaya, the narrator, states that he must be able to recognize and understand both battlefield tactics and the omens occurring around the chariot/warrior, because he is an insider—an attendant connected with the chariot establishment—positioned to observe and interpret what unfolds.