Shloka 39
Kaurava Mobilization at Kurukṣetra (Duryodhana Orders War Preparations) / कुरुक्षेत्रे धार्तराष्ट्र-सैन्यसज्जा
वैशम्पायन उवाच तस्य तद् वचन श्रुत्वा धर्मराजस्य धीमत: । अब्रवीत् पुण्डरीकाक्षो धनंजयमवेक्ष्य ह
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tasya tad vacanaṃ śrutvā dharmarājasya dhīmataḥ | abravīt puṇḍarīkākṣo dhanaṃjayam avekṣya ha |
Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing those words of the wise Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), the lotus-eyed Śrī Kṛṣṇa, glancing toward Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna), spoke. The sense is that Kṛṣṇa acknowledges Yudhiṣṭhira’s deliberation about leadership in war: the heroes named are, in his judgment too, fit to be commanders, for they are all mighty warriors—thus affirming a dharmic, competence-based choice rather than one driven by mere favoritism.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Leadership in a righteous cause should be grounded in merit and capability, affirmed through sober counsel. Kṛṣṇa’s response supports a dharmic standard: those who are truly valiant and competent are fit for command, not merely those chosen by partiality.
Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) has spoken about potential leaders/commanders. Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛṣṇa, after hearing him, looks toward Arjuna and begins to reply, endorsing the suitability of the named heroes for the role of senāpati because of their prowess.