Shloka 5

Sainyavinyāsa–Lakṣaṇa (Disposition of Armies and Battlefield Omens) | सैन्यविन्यास–लक्षणम्

Devanagari script

पश्चान्मुखा: कुरवो धार्तराष्ट्रा: स्थिता: पार्था: प्राडमुखा योत्स्यमाना: । दैत्येन्द्रसेनेव च कौरवाणां देवेन्द्रसेनेव च पाण्डवानाम्‌

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

pścān-mukhāḥ kuravo dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ sthitāḥ pārthāḥ prāṅ-mukhā yotsyamānāḥ |

daityendra-seneva ca kauravāṇāṃ devendra-seneva ca pāṇḍavānām ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Kaum Kuru, putera-putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra, berdiri menghadap ke barat; manakala putera-putera Pṛthā (para Pāṇḍava) berdiri menghadap ke timur, bersedia untuk bertempur. Angkatan Kaurava tampak seperti bala tentera raja Dānava, sedangkan pasukan Pāṇḍava kelihatan laksana bala tentera Indra, raja para dewa—membingkai pertempuran yang bakal meletus sebagai pertembungan moral dan kosmik antara dua haluan yang bertentangan.

Word by Word

• पश्चात्: behind; westward (in context)
• पश्चात्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात्
• Form: Avyaya

• मुखाः: facing; having faces (towards)
• मुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कुरवः: the Kurus
• कुरवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• धार्तराष्ट्राः: the sons/party of Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• धार्तराष्ट्राः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्तराष्ट्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• स्थिताः: stood; stationed
• स्थिताः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था
• Form: Past passive participle, Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पार्थाः: the Pārthas (sons of Pṛthā/Kuntī)
• पार्थाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्राक्: eastward; in front (in context: towards the east)
• प्राक्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्राक्
• Form: Avyaya

• मुखाः: facing
• मुखाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• योत्स्यमानाः: about to fight; intending to fight
• योत्स्यमानाः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध्
• Form: Future active participle (periphrastic sense), Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दैत्येन्द्रसेना: by/like the army of the lord of Daityas
• दैत्येन्द्रसेना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैत्येन्द्र-सेना
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: like; as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव
• Form: Avyaya

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya

• कौरवाणाम्: of the Kauravas
• कौरवाणाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौरव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• देवेन्द्रसेना: by/like the army of Indra, lord of the gods
• देवेन्द्रसेना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेन्द्र-सेना
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• इव: like; as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव
• Form: Avyaya

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya

• पाण्डवानाम्: of the Pāṇḍavas
• पाण्डवानाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाण्डव
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Kauravas (Kuravas, Dhārtarāṣṭras)
• Pāṇḍavas (Pārthas)
• Kuntī/Pṛthā (implied by 'Pārthāḥ')
• Devendra (Indra)
• Daityendra (lord of the Daityas/Dānavas)
• West (paścāt)
• East (prāṅ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse casts the battlefield in ethical-cosmic terms: the two armies are not merely military forces but represent contrasting alignments—Indra-like (dharma-associated) versus Daitya-like (adharma-associated). It prepares the listener to read the war as a test of righteousness, leadership, and moral order.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the initial positioning of the two sides: the Kauravas stand facing west, and the Pāṇḍavas face east, poised to fight. He then compares the appearance of each host to mythic armies—Daityas for the Kauravas and gods under Indra for the Pāṇḍavas—heightening the grandeur and tension before combat.