Shloka 5
सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions
अभियाय च दुर्धर्षा धार्तराष्ट्रस्य वाहिनीम् | प्राड्मुखा: पश्चिमे भागे न्यविशन्त ससैनिका:,पाण्डवोंके योद्धालोग अपने-अपने सैनिकोंके सहित धृतराष्ट्रपुत्रकी दुर्धर्ष सेनाके सम्मुख जाकर पश्चिमभागमें पूर्वाभिमुख होकर ठहर गये थे
abhiyāya ca durdharṣā dhārtarāṣṭrasya vāhinīm | prāṅmukhāḥ paścime bhāge nyaviśanta sasainikāḥ ||
Having advanced to face the formidable army of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, the Pāṇḍava warriors, each with his own troops, took their position on the western side, standing with their fronts turned eastward. The scene underscores the deliberate order and resolve with which both sides enter a war that will test duty, loyalty, and righteousness.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined resolve in the face of a daunting opponent, pointing to the kṣatriya ideal of meeting conflict with order and steadiness—while implicitly setting the stage for the larger ethical question of how duty (dharma) is to be upheld amid war.
The Pāṇḍava side advances to confront the formidable Dhārtarāṣṭra army and then halts in formation on the western sector, facing east, each contingent positioned with its own troops as the battle lines settle.