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 ||
Wika ni Sanjaya: Pagkaraan, dumating sa Kurukṣetra ang mga pinakadakila sa mga lalaki. Nang makita nilang ang lupain ay walang maalat at tigang na kaparangan at angkop sa mapalad na paglalakbay, pinili nila ang mismong lugar na iyon bilang pook ng labanan—upang ang digmaan ay mapagpasiyahan sa lupang itinuturing na nararapat, hindi sa marumi o di-mapalad na dako.
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.