Shloka 26
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
द्रौपद्यास्तनया: पञ्च माद्रीपुत्रोी च पाण्डवौ । शिखण्डी च महेष्वासो राजा चैव युधिछिर:
drau padyāḥ tanayāḥ pañca mādrīputrau ca pāṇḍavau | śikhaṇḍī ca maheṣvāso rājā caiva yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
قال سانجيا: «في صفهم أبناء دروبدي الخمسة، وابنا الباندافا المولودان من مادري؛ وفيهم أيضًا شيخندي، الرامي العظيم، والملك يودهيشثيرا نفسه. ومع أبطال كهؤلاء يقاتلون إلى جانبهم، كيف لا تكون لهم الغلبة؟»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a dharmic confidence: when a side is supported by capable, duty-bound leaders and disciplined allies, victory appears morally and strategically inevitable. It highlights how collective strength—rooted in rightful leadership and steadfast warriors—becomes a basis for hope in a righteous cause.
Sañjaya, reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, lists prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Draupadī’s five sons, Nakula and Sahadeva, Śikhaṇḍī, and King Yudhiṣṭhira—implying that with such fighters on their side, the Pāṇḍavas’ success in the war is hard to doubt.