Shloka 5
अनीकव्यूहप्रतिव्यूहः
Counter-deployment of Divisions and the Opening Tumult
महेन्द्रयानप्रतिमं रथं तु सोपस्करं हाटकरत्नचित्रम् । युधिष्ठिर: काउ्चनभाण्डयोक्त्रं समास्थितो नागपुरस्य मध्ये
sañjaya uvāca |
mahendrāyānapratimaṃ rathaṃ tu sopaskaraṃ hāṭakaratnacitram |
yudhiṣṭhiraḥ kāñcanabhāṇḍayoktraṃ samāsthito nāgapurasya madhye ||
サンジャヤは言った。ユディシュティラは、マヘーンドラ（インドラ）の車にも比すべき壮麗な戦車に乗り込んだ。そこには必要な器具がことごとく備えられ、黄金と宝玉で飾られて、さまざまな装飾が光を放っていた。金の器と轡綱も整えられ、彼は象軍のただ中に陣して立つ――迫り来る戦いに向けて諸軍が布陣する中、王者の秩序と周到な備えを示す姿であった。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya preparedness and orderly leadership: even amid impending violence, the king’s role is to maintain discipline, readiness, and responsibility. The emphasis on a fully equipped chariot symbolizes competence and foresight—ethical governance expressed through careful preparation rather than rashness.
Sañjaya describes Yudhiṣṭhira taking his position for battle. He mounts an exceptionally splendid, well-equipped chariot—likened to Indra’s—and stands amid the elephant contingent, indicating the Pāṇḍava army’s arrangement and the king’s visible presence among key divisions.