Verse 1.2

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration, Word-for-word and English translation of verse 1.2:

सञ्जय उवाच–
दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस् तदा ।
आचार्यम् उपसङ्गम्य राजा वचनम् अब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥

sañjaya uvāca–
dṛṣṭvā tu pāṇḍavānīkaṃ vyūḍhaṃ duryodhanas tadā |
ācāryam upasaṅgamya rājā vacanam abravīt || 2 ||

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: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Ṭīkā

(By Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura; the innermost intention of the commentary named ‘the shower of essential meanings’)

After understanding the intention of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Sañjaya confirmed that there would definitely be a war as Dhṛtarāṣṭra desired. But knowing that the result would be contrary to Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s expectations, Sañjaya is speaking these words beginning with dṛṣtvā etc. Here, the word vyūḍham means ‘the arrangement of the Pāṇḍava army into a strategic formation’. Thus King Duryodhana, who felt fear within himself, spoke nine verses, beginning with paśyaitām in the next verse.

Commentary: Sārārtha-Varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti

(By Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja; the explanation that illuminates the commentary named Sārārtha-varṣiṇī)

Unfortunately, apart from Dhṛtarāṣṭra being blind since birth, he was also bereft of both religious and spiritual vision. Thus, at the time of the Mahābhārata War, he became overwhelmed with lamentation and illusion. Due to the influence of the dharma-kṣetra, his son Duryodhana might return half of the kingdom to the Pāṇḍavas. Fearing this, he became dejected.

Sañjaya, being highly religious and a visionary, could sense the internal feelings of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Although Sañjaya knew that the result of this battle would not be in Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s favour, he very intelligently hid this information, and while pacifying Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he said, “Duryodhana is not going to compromise with the Pāṇḍavas. Rather, after seeing the extremely strong arrangement of the Pāṇḍava army, he is personally approaching Droṇācārya, his guru in military science, to inform him of the actual situation.”

Duryodhana had two motives for approaching the ācārya. First, he was fearful upon seeing the formidable arrangement of the Pāṇḍava army. Second, on the pretext of giving his guru due respect, he wanted to display his political expertise, by which he was certainly qualified in all respects for the post of king. This is verified here by his diplomatic behaviour. This is the essence of the verse: sañjaya uvāca etc.

Duryodhana: Among the one hundred sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī, Duryodhana was the eldest. At the time of his birth, there were various bad omens, which caused many saintly persons such as Vidura to fear that Duryodhana would be the cause of the destruction of the Kuru dynasty. According to the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana took birth from a part (aṃśa) of Kali. He was sinful, cruel and a disgrace to the Kuru dynasty. At the time of his name-giving ceremony, the family priests and other learned astrologers, seeing the indications of his future, gave him the name Duryodhana, one who fights against the injunctions of religious warfare. Finally, after receiving a hint from Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Bhīma killed him in such a way that would make one’s hair stand on end.

Vyūha: It is said in Śabda-ratnāvalī, “samagrasya tu sainyasya vinyāsaḥ sthāna-bhedataḥ sa vyūha iti vikhyāto yuddheṣu pṛthivī-bhujām–a vyūha is the formation of a military phalanx, arranged by an expert king in such a way that it is impenetrable by opponents coming from any direction, thereby assuring victory in battle.”

Droṇācārya: Droṇācārya taught the science of weaponry and warfare to the sons of both Pāṇḍu and Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He was the son of the great sage Bharadvāja. Because he was born from a droṇa, a water-pot, he became famous by the name Droṇa. He was a great teacher of weaponry and was similarly conversant in knowledge of Veda and vedāṅga (auxiliary portions of the Vedas). After pleasing Maharṣi Paraśurāma, Droṇācārya learned from him the secrets of the science of archery and other sciences. Since he had received the benediction that he could die at the time of his own choosing, no one could kill him. After being insulted by his childhood friend, King Drupada of Pāñcāla, Droṇācārya went to Hastināpura to earn a livelihood. Impressed by Droṇa’s qualifications, Grandsire Bhīṣma appointed him as the ācārya, one who teaches by example, to instruct and train Duryodhana, Yudhiṣṭhira and the other princes. Arjuna was his most dear disciple. In the battle of Kurukṣetra, King Duryodhana, by polite persuasion and diplomacy, appointed Droṇācārya as commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army, after Bhīṣma was no longer in the battle.