Shloka 2

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच तथा व्यूढेष्वनीकेषु यत्तेषु भरतर्षभ । धृतराष्ट्री महाराज संजयं वाक्यमत्रवीत्‌,वैशम्पायनजीने कहा--भरतकुलभूषण महाराज! जब वे सभी सेनाएँ कुरुक्षेत्रमें व्यूहरचनापूर्वक डट गयीं, तब धृतराष्ट्रने संजयसे कहा--

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | tathā vyūḍheṣv anīkeṣu yat teṣu bharatarṣabha | dhṛtarāṣṭrī mahārāja sañjayaṁ vākyam abravīt ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana disse: Ó touro entre os Bhāratas! Quando aqueles exércitos, dispostos em formação de batalha (vyūha), ficaram firmes e prontos, a rainha Dhṛtarāṣṭrī dirigiu palavras a Sañjaya—no exato momento em que a engrenagem da guerra se punha em movimento e o peso moral da violência iminente recaía sobre a casa real.

Word by Word

वैशम्पायनःVaiśampāyana

उवाचsaid

तथाthus/so

व्यूढेषुwhen (they were) arrayed/formed

अनीकेषुin the armies/divisions

यत्when/that (relative particle)

तेषुamong them/in those

भरतर्षभO bull of the Bharatas (best of Bharata lineage)

धृतराष्ट्रीO Dhṛtarāṣṭrī (queen of Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

महाराजO great king

संजयम्Sañjaya (as the one addressed/spoken to)

वाक्यम्a statement/words

अत्रhere/at this point

अवीत्spoke/said

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bharatarṣabha (Janamejaya)

Dhṛtarāṣṭrī

Sañjaya

armies (anīka)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the ethical gravity that arises once armies are formally arrayed: decisions made within the royal family now carry immediate consequences for countless lives, highlighting responsibility in kingship and the peril of allowing conflict to become irreversible.

What is happening in the narrative?

As the forces stand arranged in battle formation, the narration shifts to Dhṛtarāṣṭrī speaking to Sañjaya, marking a transition from preparation to imminent action and setting up the next exchange.