Shloka 170
अनुक्रमणिकाध्यायः (Anukramaṇikā Adhyāya) — Invocation, Narrator Frame, and Textual Scope
(यदाओ्रषं कीचकानां वरिष्ठ निषूदितं भ्रातृशतेन सार्धम् द्रौपद्यर्थ भीमसेनेन संख्ये तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय ।।) यदाश्रौषं मामकानां वरिष्ठान् धनज्जयेनैकरथेन भग्नान् | विराटराष्ट्रे वसता महात्मना तदा नाशंसे विजयाय संजय,संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि भीमसेनने द्रौपदीके प्रति किये हुए अपराधका बदला लेनेके लिये कीचकोंके सर्वश्रेष्ठ वीरको उसके सौ भाइयोंसहित युद्धमें मार डाला था, तभीसे मुझे विजयकी बिलकुल आशा नहीं रह गयी थी। संजय! जब मैंने सुना कि विराटकी राजधानीमें रहते समय महात्मा धनंजयने एकमात्र रथकी सहायतासे हमारे सभी श्रेष्ठ महारथियोंको (जो गो-हरणके लिये पूर्ण तैयारीके साथ वहाँ गये थे) मार भगाया, तभीसे मुझे विजयकी आशा नहीं रही
yadāśrauṣaṃ kīcakānāṃ variṣṭhaṃ niṣūditaṃ bhrātṛśatena sārdham | draupady-arthaṃ bhīmasenena saṅkhye tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya saṃjaya || yadāśrauṣaṃ māmakānāṃ variṣṭhān dhanañjayenaikarathena bhagnān | virāṭarāṣṭre vasatā mahātmanā tadā nāśaṃse vijayāya saṃjaya ||
Sañjaya, when I heard that Bhīmasena, to avenge the outrage done to Draupadī, had slain in battle the foremost of the Kīcakas together with his hundred brothers, from that moment I no longer held any hope of victory. And when I heard that the great-souled Dhanañjaya, while living in the kingdom of Virāṭa, had routed our best warriors single-handedly with but one chariot, then too, Sañjaya, I ceased to expect victory.
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma-driven aggression collapses under the weight of righteous resolve: when the Pandavas act to protect honor and uphold duty, their prowess becomes a moral and strategic sign that unjust power cannot securely prevail.
The speaker recalls two reports: Bhīma’s slaying of Kīcaka (and his brothers) to avenge Draupadī, and Arjuna’s single-chariot rout of the Kaurava champions during the Virāṭa episode. These events convince him that victory for his side is unlikely.