Shloka 16
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
दरदैश्न शकैश्वैव तथा क्षुद्रकमालवै: । अभ्यरक्षत संहृष्ट: सौबलेयस्य वाहिनीम्,शकुनिने अपनी सेना साथ लेकर द्रोणाचार्यकी रक्षामें योग दिया। तत्पश्चात् अपने भाइयोंसहित राजा दुर्योधन अत्यन्त हर्षमें भरकर अश्वातक, विकर्ण, अम्बष्ठ, कोसल, दरद, शक, क्षुद्रक तथा मालव आदि देशोंके योद्धाओंके साथ सुबलपुत्र शकुनिकी सेनाका संरक्षण करने लगा
daradaiśna-śakaiś caiva tathā kṣudraka-mālavaiḥ | abhyarakṣata saṁhṛṣṭaḥ saubaleyasya vāhinīm ||
Sañjaya sprach: Frohlockend legte er einen Schutzring um das Heer des Sohnes Saubalas (Śakuni), mit Kriegern der Darada, Śaka, Kṣudraka und Mālava.
(संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly contrasts dharma with mere strategic loyalty: military protection and coalition-building can be executed with enthusiasm, yet if the underlying cause is adharma, such zeal becomes ethically hollow—showing how power-politics can eclipse righteous discernment.
Sañjaya reports that, in the battle arrangements, a leader joyfully assigns protective cover to Śakuni’s forces, supported by contingents from several named peoples (Darada, Śaka, Kṣudraka, Mālava), indicating coordinated defense and the presence of diverse regional allies in the Kaurava host.