Original text
सञ्जय उवाच–
दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस् तदा ।
आचार्यम् उपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनम् अब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥
IAST transliteration
sañjaya uvāca–
dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṃ vyūḍhaṃ duryodhanas tadā |
ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt || 2 ||
भावार्थ
संजय उवाच (sañjayaḥ uvāca) – संजय ने कहा; दृष्ट्वा (dṛṣṭvā) – देखकर / अवलोकन करके; तु (tu) – लेकिन / और; पाण्डव-अनीकम् (pāṇḍava-anīkam) – पाण्डवों की सेना को; व्यूढम् (vyūḍham) – सैन्य व्यूह रचना में व्यवस्थित; दुर्योधनः (duryodhanaḥ) – राजा दुर्योधन ने; तदा (tadā) – तब; आचार्यम् (ācāryam) – अपने गुरु (द्रोणाचार्य) के; उपसंगम्य (upasaṅgamya) – पास जाकर; राजा (rājā) – राजा ने; वचनम् (vacanam) – वचन / शब्द; अब्रवीत् (abravīt) – कहे।
संजय ने कहा: हे राजन् (धृतराष्ट्र)! पाण्डवों की सेना को सैन्य व्यूह रचना में व्यवस्थित देखकर, तब राजा दुर्योधन ने अपने गुरु द्रोणाचार्य के पास जाकर यह वचन कहे।
English meaning
sañjayaḥ uvāca–Sañjaya said; dṛṣṭvā–after surveying; tu –and; pāṇḍava-anīkam–the army of the Pāṇḍavas; vyūḍham–fully arrayed in military formation; duryodhanaḥ–King Duryodhana; tadā–then; ācāryam–his teacher (Droṇācārya); upasaṅgamya–approached; rājā–king; vacanam–words; abravīt–spoke.
Sañjaya said: O King, after surveying the Pāṇḍava army arrayed in military formation, Duryodhana approached his guru Droṇācārya and spoke the following words.
Commentary
In his commentary, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that Sanjaya completely understood the hidden feelings of Dhrtarastra. Sanjaya confirmed that the war the king secretly wanted was definitely going to happen. However, Sanjaya also knew that the final result would completely shatter the king's expectations. The word vyudham here refers to the highly strategic and flawless military formation of the Pandava army. Seeing this massive preparation, King Duryodhana became terrified inside, and in that state of fear, he approached his guru to speak the words that follow.
The Core of Sarartha Varsini Prakasika vrtti
Srila Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami Maharaja highlights the tragedy that Dhrtarastra was not just physically blind from birth, but he also completely lacked religious and spiritual vision. As the great war approached, he was consumed by grief and illusion. Kuruksetra was a holy land, and Dhrtarastra constantly feared that its pious influence might change his son's mind, causing Duryodhana to return half the kingdom to the Pandavas. This thought made him deeply depressed.
Sanjaya was a highly righteous and visionary man who easily sensed the king's inner turmoil. Even though Sanjaya knew the Kauravas were destined to lose, he tactfully hid this truth. To comfort the king, he explained that Duryodhana had no intention of making peace. Instead, after seeing the formidable Pandava army, Duryodhana went straight to his military guru, Dronacarya, to report the actual situation.
Duryodhana had two main motives for approaching his guru:
First: The massive and dangerous arrangement of the Pandava army genuinely terrified him.
Second: Under the guise of paying respect to his teacher, he wanted to show off his political sharpness and prove he was fully qualified to rule as king. His diplomatic move is the main focus of this event.
Character of Duryodhana
Duryodhana was the eldest of the one hundred sons born to Dhrtarastra and Gandhari. His birth was marked by numerous terrible omens, leading Vidura and other saintly people to warn that this child would bring absolute ruin to the Kuru dynasty. According to the Mahabharata, Duryodhana was an incarnation of a portion of Kali. He was wicked, cruel, and a permanent stain on his family. Observing his traits at birth, astrologers and priests named him Duryodhana, which means a person who fights by breaking the rules of righteous warfare. Ultimately, acting on a subtle hint from Sri Krsna, Bhima killed him in a truly terrifying manner.
Meaning of Vyuha
According to the text Sabda ratnavali, the word vyuha refers to a specific military formation. It is an arrangement created by a skilled king where the army is positioned so securely that enemies cannot penetrate it from any direction, thereby guaranteeing victory on the battlefield.
Introduction to Dronacarya
Dronacarya was the master who taught martial arts and weaponry to all the sons of Pandu and Dhrtarastra. He was the son of the great sage Bharadvaja. Because he was born from a water vessel known as a drona, he was given the name Drona. He was a supreme master of warfare as well as a great scholar of the Vedas and other scriptures. By serving and pleasing Maharshi Parasurama, Dronacarya acquired the deepest secrets of archery and mystic weapons. He also held a special blessing that allowed him to choose the exact time of his own death, making him practically invincible.
After facing a bitter insult from his childhood friend King Drupada, Dronacarya moved to Hastinapura to earn a livelihood. Recognizing his extraordinary skills, Grandsire Bhisma appointed him as the royal teacher for all the princes. Among all his students, Arjuna was his absolute favorite. Later during the Kuruksetra war, when Bhisma could no longer fight, King Duryodhana used sweet words and clever diplomacy to appoint Dronacarya as the supreme commander of the Kaurava army.