Shloka 2
Sainyavinyāsa–Lakṣaṇa (Disposition of Armies and Battlefield Omens) | सैन्यविन्यास–लक्षणम्
धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! सूर्योदयके समय किस पक्षके योद्धा युद्धकी इच्छासे अधिक हर्षका अनुभव करते हुए जान पड़ते थे? भीष्मके नेतृत्वमें निकट आये हुए मेरे सैनिक अथवा भीमसेनकी अध्यक्षतामें आनेवाले पाण्डव सैनिक! उस समय कौन अधिक प्रसन्न थे? ।।
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | sañjaya sūryodaye samaye kasya pakṣasya yoddhā yuddhecchayādhikaṃ harṣam anubhavanta iva dṛśyante sma | bhīṣma-netṛtve samīpam āgatā mama sainikāḥ athavā bhīmasena-pradhānatayā samāyānto pāṇḍava-sainikāḥ | tadā ke ’dhikataram prasannāḥ | keṣāṃ jaghanyau soma-sūryau sa-vāyū | keṣāṃ senāṃ śvāpadāḥ śabdam aśabdaṃs (abhāṣanta) | keṣāṃ yūnāṃ mukha-varṇāḥ prasannāḥ | sarvam etad brūhi tattvato yathāvat ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra bertanya: “Sañjaya, pada waktu matahari terbit, pihak manakah yang kelihatan lebih bersorak dan lebih ghairah hendak berperang—pasukanku yang mara mendekat di bawah pimpinan Bhīṣma, atau bala Pāṇḍava yang maju di bawah kepimpinan Bhīmasena? Pada saat itu, siapakah yang tampak lebih yakin dan gembira? Bagi pihak mana bulan, matahari, dan angin menjadi petanda buruk? Ke arah tentera manakah binatang buas mengaum dengan suara ngeri? Di pihak manakah wajah para pemuda berseri dengan warna kegembiraan? Ceritakan semuanya kepadaku dengan tepat, sebagaimana adanya.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner confidence and moral standing are mirrored by outward signs—morale, facial brightness, and even perceived omens. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s questions reveal a ruler’s anxiety: he seeks reassurance not through dharma but through portents and comparative enthusiasm, implying that ethical legitimacy and psychological strength matter as much as numbers.
On the morning of battle at Kurukṣetra, Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to report which side appears more joyful and eager to fight—his Kaurava forces under Bhīṣma or the Pāṇḍava forces led by Bhīmasena—and to describe ominous signs: adverse celestial conditions and the cries of wild animals, along with the visible cheer on the faces of the young warriors.