Śalya’s Consecration as Senāpati and Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira (शल्यस्य सेनापत्यभिषेकः)
शल्यश्न चित्रसेनश्व॒ शकुनिश्च महारथ: । अश्वत्थामा कृपश्चैव कृतवर्मा च सात्वत:,शल्य, चित्रसेन, महारथी शकुनि, अश्व॒त्थामा, कृपाचार्य, सात्वतवंशी कृतवर्मा, सुषेण, अरिष्टसेन, पराक्रमी धृतसेन और जयत्सेन आदि राजाओंने वहीं रात बितायी
sañjaya uvāca | śalyaś ca citrasenaś ca śakuniś ca mahārathaḥ | aśvatthāmā kṛpaś caiva kṛtavarmā ca sātvatāḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: „Śalya und Citrasena, der große Wagenkämpfer Śakuni, dazu Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa und Kṛtavarmā aus der Sātvata-Linie—diese führenden Männer blieben dort und verbrachten die Nacht beisammen, unbeirrt in ihrem Entschluss auf dem düsteren Weg des Krieges.“
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores how war binds leaders into a shared, often morally fraught resolve: eminent warriors remain together, reinforcing solidarity and strategic continuity even as dharma becomes contested in the late stages of the conflict.
Sañjaya lists key Kaurava-aligned warriors—Śalya, Citrasena, Śakuni, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, and Kṛtavarmā—indicating that they stayed at the same place and spent the night there, marking a pause in battle and a consolidation of forces.