Shloka 2
समागम्य महाराज मन्त्र चक्रुविवश्षितम् | कथं पाण्डुसुता: संख्ये जेतव्या: सगणा इति,संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! तदनन्तर राजा दुर्योधन, सुबलपुत्र शकुनि, आपका पुत्र दुःशासन, दुर्जयवीर सूतपुत्र कर्ण--ये सभी मिलकर अभीष्ट कार्यके विषयमें गुप्त परामर्श करने लगे। उनकी मन्त्रणाका मुख्य विषय यह था कि पाण्डवोंको दल-बलसहित युद्धमें कैसे जीता जा सकता है?
samāgamya mahārāja mantraṁ cakruḥ vivaśṣitam | kathaṁ pāṇḍusutāḥ saṅkhye jetavyāḥ sagaṇā iti ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, thereafter Duryodhana, Śakuni the son of Subala, your son Duḥśāsana, and Karṇa—the hard-to-conquer hero, son of a charioteer—came together and held a secret council about their desired objective. The central question of their deliberation was this: ‘How are the sons of Pāṇḍu, together with their forces and allies, to be defeated in battle?’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical contrast between secretive, goal-driven strategizing for victory and the broader Mahābhārata concern with dharma: when the aim is conquest at any cost, counsel tends to serve ambition rather than righteousness.
After developments on the battlefield, key Kaurava leaders—Duryodhana, Śakuni, Duḥśāsana, and Karṇa—gather privately to plan tactics, focusing on how to defeat the Pāṇḍavas along with their supporting forces and allies.