Chapter 1, Verse 2
सञ्जय उवाच दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा। आचार्यमुपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत्।।
sañjaya uvāca dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṁ vyūḍhaṁ duryodhanas tadā ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt
Meaning
Sanjaya said: Having seen the army of the Pandavas arrayed in battle formation, King Duryodhana then approached his teacher Drona and spoke these words.
Word-by-Word Meaning
Explanation & Commentary
This verse opens the narrative on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Sanjaya, the divine narrator gifted with remote vision by sage Vyasa, reports to the blind king Dhritarashtra everything he witnesses. Duryodhana, the eldest Kaurava prince, surveys the opposing Pandava forces with a calculating eye and immediately seeks counsel from his guru Dronacharya — revealing his dependence on validation and strategy.
Duryodhana's impulse to approach his teacher at this critical juncture shows a mix of admiration for military arrangement and an underlying anxiety. A general who is truly confident does not need to narrate the enemy's strength to his own mentor. This subtle insecurity foreshadows the Kaurava side's eventual downfall — rooted not in lack of power but in lack of righteousness.
For the modern reader, this verse is a mirror: when we face a challenging situation, do we approach our mentors from a place of genuine inquiry or from a need for reassurance? Recognising that distinction is the first step toward wise action rather than reactive posturing.
💡 Key Takeaway
Seek guidance from mentors with genuine humility, not merely to confirm your own anxieties.
Related Verses
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच | धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः | मामकाः पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत सञ्जय ॥१॥
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre samavetā yuyutsavaḥ | māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva kim akurvata sañjaya ||1||
Dhritarashtra said: O Sanjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukshetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pandu do, being desirous to fight?
पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम्। व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता।।
paśyaitāṁ pāṇḍu-putrāṇām ācārya mahatīṁ camūm vyūḍhāṁ drupada-putreṇa tava śiṣyeṇa dhīmatā
O teacher, behold this mighty army of the sons of Pandu, so skilfully arrayed by the son of Drupada — your own talented student.
अत्र शूरा महेष्वासा भीमार्जुनसमा युधि। युयुधानो विराटश्च द्रुपदश्च महारथः।।
atra śūrā maheṣvāsā bhīmārjuna-samā yudhi yuyudhāno virāṭaś ca drupadaś ca mahārathaḥ
Here in this army are great heroes, mighty archers equal to Bhima and Arjuna in battle — Yuyudhana, Virata, and the great chariot-warrior Drupada.