Chapter 1: Observing the Armies on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra
Bg 1.2
TEXT 2
sanjaya uvaca
drstva tu pandavanikam
vyudham duryodhanas tada
acaryam upasangamya
raja vacanam abravit
SYNONYMS
sanjayah—Sanjaya; uvaca—said; drstva—after seeing; tu—but; pandava-anikam—the soldiers of the Pandavas; vyudham—arranged in military phalanx; duryodhanah—King Duryodhana; tada—at that time; acaryam—the teacher; upasangamya—approaching nearby; raja—the king; vacanam—words; abravit—spoke.
TRANSLATION
Sanjaya said: O King, after looking over the army gathered by the sons of Pandu, King Duryodhana went to his teacher and began to speak the following words:
PURPORT
Dhrtarastra was blind from birth. Unfortunately, he was also bereft of spiritual vision. He knew very well that his sons were equally blind in the matter of religion, and he was sure that they could never reach an understanding with the Pandavas, who were all pious since birth. Still he was doubtful about the influence of the place of pilgrimage, and Sanjaya could understand his motive in asking about the situation on the battlefield. He wanted, therefore, to encourage the despondent King, and thus he warned him that his sons were not going to make any sort of compromise under the influence of the holy place. Sanjaya therefore informed the King that his son, Duryodhana, after seeing the military force of the Pandavas, at once went to the commander-in-chief, Dronacarya, to inform him of the real position. Although Duryodhana is mentioned as the king, he still had to go to the commander on account of the seriousness of the situation. He was therefore quite fit to be a politician. But Duryodhana's diplomatic veneer could not disguise the fear he felt when he saw the military arrangement of the Pandavas.