Shloka 5
Sainyavinyāsa–Lakṣaṇa (Disposition of Armies and Battlefield Omens) | सैन्यविन्यास–लक्षणम्
पश्चान्मुखा: कुरवो धार्तराष्ट्रा: स्थिता: पार्था: प्राडमुखा योत्स्यमाना: । दैत्येन्द्रसेनेव च कौरवाणां देवेन्द्रसेनेव च पाण्डवानाम्,आपके पुत्र कौरवोंका मुख पश्चिम दिशाकी ओर था और कुन्तीके पुत्र उनसे युद्ध करनेके लिये पूर्वाभिमुख खड़े थे। कौरवसेना दैत्यराजकी सेनाके समान जान पड़ती थी और पाण्डववाहिनी देवराज इन्द्रकी सेनाके तुल्य प्रतीत होती थी
sañjaya uvāca |
pścān-mukhāḥ kuravo dhārtarāṣṭrāḥ sthitāḥ pārthāḥ prāṅ-mukhā yotsyamānāḥ |
daityendra-seneva ca kauravāṇāṃ devendra-seneva ca pāṇḍavānām ||
三阇耶说道：俱卢军——持国之子——面向西方而立；而普利塔之子（般度五子）面向东方，整装待战。俱卢大军宛如阿修罗王之师，般度军则似天帝因陀罗之众——将即将到来的战事映照为两种阵营、两种道义的宇宙对决。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.