Shloka 136
कुरुक्षेत्रे सेनानिवेशवृत्तान्तः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra Questions Saṃjaya on the Deployed Armies
द्रोणान्तहेतोरुत्पन्नो य इद्धाज्जातवेदस: । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! तदनन्तर राजा द्रुपद
droṇānta-hetor utpanno ya iddhāj jātavedasaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Dia yang lahir daripada api korban yang menyala-nyala semata-mata untuk menamatkan Droṇa—iaitu Dhṛṣṭadyumna—telah Yudhiṣṭhira lantik menurut adat dan upacara sebagai panglima tertinggi atas seluruh bala tentera, setelah menempatkan para wira yang bernafsu perang sebagai ketua-ketua pasukan.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between dharma-guided governance and the grim necessities of war: leadership appointments are made ‘according to rule’ (vidhi), yet the commander’s very birth is framed by a destined purpose—ending a revered teacher’s life—showing how ritual, fate, and ethical burden converge in the epic.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira formally installs commanders for the coming battle and makes Dhṛṣṭadyumna the principal commander of the armies, emphasizing that Dhṛṣṭadyumna was born from the sacrificial fire with the specific destiny of bringing about Droṇa’s end.