Shloka 16
Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha
Verbal Duel and Omens
ततस्ते तु कुरुक्षेत्रं प्राप्ता नरवरोत्तमा:
tataste tu kurukṣetraṃ prāptā naravarottamāḥ | tasmin deśe tv aniriṇe te tu yuddham arocayan ||
सञ्जय उवाच— ततस्ते नरशार्दूलाः कुरुक्षेत्रं समागताः। तस्मिन् देशेऽनिरिणे ते युद्धं कर्तुमरोचयन्॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the harsh necessity of war, the epic frames action within dharmic and auspicious considerations: the warriors deliberately choose a suitable, untainted terrain, reflecting the Mahābhārata’s concern that means, place, and context shape the moral weight of an act.
Sañjaya reports that the leading warriors arrive at Kurukṣetra and, seeing a tract that is not ‘iriṇa’ (barren/saline wasteland), decide to fight there, selecting the battlefield based on the land’s suitability and auspicious character.