अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
प्रत्युद्ययुस्त्रिगर्तास्तं शिबय: कौरवै: सह । शाल्वा: संशप्तकाश्नचैव नारायणबलं च तत्,उस समय उनका सामना करनेके लिये त्रिगर्त, शिबि, कौरवोंसहित शाल्व, संशप्तकगण तथा नारायणी-सेनाके सैनिक आगे बढ़े
pratyudyayus trigartās taṃ śibayaḥ kauravaiḥ saha | śālvāḥ saṃśaptakāś caiva nārāyaṇabalaṃ ca tat ||
Sañjaya sprach: Um ihm entgegenzutreten, rückten die Trigartas vor, und die Śibis zusammen mit den Kauravas; auch die Śālvas, ebenso die Saṃśaptakas und jenes mächtige Nārāyaṇa-Kontingent. So setzten sich viele verbündete Kräfte gemeinsam in Bewegung, getrieben von der Treue zu ihrer Seite und vom harten Zwang des Krieges.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how collective action in war is shaped by allegiance and duty: multiple groups advance together to confront an opponent. It implicitly raises the ethical tension of kṣatriya-dharma—courage and steadfastness—while also showing how vows (as with the Saṃśaptakas) can intensify commitment beyond ordinary prudence.
Sañjaya reports that several Kaurava-aligned forces—Trigartas, Śibis, Śālvas, the vow-bound Saṃśaptakas, and the Nārāyaṇa contingent—move forward to meet and oppose a particular warrior on the battlefield, indicating a coordinated attempt to check his advance.