Shloka 13
कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies
सेनाप्रणेतृन् विधिवदभ्यषिज्चद् युधिष्ठिर: । सर्वसेनापतिं चात्र धृष्टद्युम्नं चकार ह
senāpraṇetṝn vidhivad abhyasiñcad yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | sarvasenāpatiṁ cātra dhṛṣṭadyumnaṁ cakāra ha ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Yudhiṣṭhira, following the prescribed rites, duly consecrated the commanders of the army; and thereupon he appointed Dhṛṣṭadyumna as the commander-in-chief of the entire host. The act underscores the Pāṇḍavas’ insistence on lawful procedure and accountable leadership even as war became inevitable.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the approach to war, rightful governance requires actions to be done vidhivat—by established norms—so that authority is legitimate, responsibilities are clear, and violence is not undertaken as mere impulse but under accountable leadership.
Yudhiṣṭhira performs formal consecrations for the army’s leaders and then appoints Dhṛṣṭadyumna as the overall commander-in-chief of the Pandava forces.