Shloka 15
भीष्म-द्रोणादिभिः पाण्डवसेनाक्षयकाल-निर्णयः | Time-estimates for the depletion of the Pāṇḍava forces
Bhīṣma–Droṇa council
पज्चयोजनमुत्सृज्य मण्डलं तद्रणाजिरम् । सेनानिवेशास्ते राजन्नाविशष्छतसंघश:,समरांगणके लिये पाँच योजनका घेरा छोड़कर सैनिकोंके ठहरनेके लिये सौ-सौकी संख्यामें कितनी ही श्रेणीबद्ध छावनियाँ डाली गयी थीं
pañcayojanam utsṛjya maṇḍalaṁ tad raṇājiram | senāniveśās te rājann āviśan śatasamghaśaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: Dejando un perímetro circular de cinco yojanas alrededor de aquel campo de batalla, oh Rey, el ejército estableció sus campamentos—dispuestos en muchas líneas ordenadas, en grupos de cien—para que las fuerzas quedaran acantonadas con disciplina y listas para el conflicto venidero.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the approach to war, the text highlights the ethic of order and restraint: space is deliberately set aside and troops are arranged systematically, implying that power should be exercised with discipline rather than chaos.
The narrator describes the practical preparations for battle: a five-yojana perimeter is kept clear around the battlefield, and the armies establish organized encampments in structured units (by hundreds), indicating a formal, planned deployment.