Shloka 34
Kaurava Mobilization at Kurukṣetra (Duryodhana Orders War Preparations) / कुरुक्षेत्रे धार्तराष्ट्र-सैन्यसज्जा
यमाह कृष्णो दाशार्ह: सो<स्तु सेनापतिर्मम । कृतास्त्रो5प्यकृतास्त्रो वा वृद्धो वा यदि वा युवा
yam āha kṛṣṇo dāśārhaḥ so 'stu senāpatir mama | kṛtāstro 'py akṛtāstro vā vṛddho vā yadi vā yuva ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Whomever Kṛṣṇa, the Dāśārha, names—let that person be my commander-in-chief. Whether he is trained in weapons or untrained, whether old or young—our people should not be anxious about such considerations.”
युधिषछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira models dharmic leadership by subordinating personal preference and conventional metrics (age or technical martial training) to trusted, wise counsel—here, Kṛṣṇa’s judgment—emphasizing unity, confidence, and moral clarity in decision-making.
In the preparations for war in the Udyoga Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira declares that whoever Kṛṣṇa designates should be appointed commander-in-chief of his forces, and he instructs his side not to worry about the nominee’s age or level of weapons-training.