Shloka 24

Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam

Devanagari script

अश्वत्थामा तथा शल्य: काम्बोजश्च सुदक्षिण: । विन्दानुविन्दावावन्त्यौ बाह्विक: सह बाह्लिकैः

Transliteration

aśvatthāmā tathā śalyaḥ kāmbojaś ca sudakṣiṇaḥ | vindānuvindāv āvantyau bāhvikaḥ saha bāhlikaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Aśvatthāmā und Śalya, und der Kāmboja-Prinz Sudakṣiṇa; und die Avanti-Prinzen Vinda und Anuvinda; und Bāhvika zusammen mit den Bāhlikas — diese Krieger waren in den Reihen der Kauravas zugegen. Der Vers wirkt wie ein Namensaufruf bedeutender Kämpfer und betont, wie viele berühmte Kṣatriyas, durch Treue und Pflicht gebunden, sich zu einem Krieg versammelt haben, dessen moralische Last alle tragen werden, die zu kämpfen wählen.

Word by Word

• {'aśvatthāmā': 'Aśvatthāmā, son of Droṇa

• a prominent Kaurava warrior', 'tathā': 'and also

• likewise', 'śalyaḥ': 'Śalya, king of Madra

• a major warrior allied with the Kauravas', 'kāmbojaḥ': 'the Kāmboja (a warrior/king from Kāmboja country)

• also a gentilic designation', 'sudakṣiṇaḥ': 'Sudakṣiṇa, a Kāmboja prince/king', 'vindānuvindau': 'Vinda and Anuvinda, two named princes', 'āvantyau': 'the two from Avanti

• belonging to Avanti (dual)', 'bāhvikaḥ': 'Bāhvika, a named warrior (often associated with the northwestern peoples)', 'saha': 'together with', 'bāhlikaiḥ': 'with the Bāhlikas

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Aśvatthāmā
• Śalya
• Kāmboja
• Sudakṣiṇa
• Vinda
• Anuvinda
• Avanti
• Bāhvika
• Bāhlikas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the collective moral burden of war: renowned warriors from many regions assemble under bonds of alliance and perceived duty. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such mustering is not merely a list of names but a reminder that choices made for loyalty, ambition, or obligation carry consequences for individuals and kingdoms alike.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is enumerating prominent fighters aligned with the Kauravas during the Kurukṣetra war. This cataloging situates the audience in the battlefield context by naming key combatants and their regional identities.