Shloka 27
Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
तथा गदश्न साम्बश्न प्रद्युम्नोडथ विदूरथ: । अगावहोडनिरुद्धश्ष चारुदेष्ण: ससारण:
tathā gadaś ca sāmbaś ca pradyumno ’tha vidūrathaḥ | agāvaho ’niruddhaś ca cārudeṣṇaḥ sasāraṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Likewise were Gada and Sāmba, and then Pradyumna and Vidūratha; Agāvaha, Aniruddha, and Cārudeṣṇa together with Sāraṇa—these warriors too were present, arrayed in that war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a narrative catalogue rather than a direct moral injunction; implicitly, it highlights how war draws in extended kin-networks and allies, underscoring the kṣatriya world where lineage and obligation can expand the scope of conflict.
Vaiśampāyana continues listing notable warriors/figures—Gada, Sāmba, Pradyumna, Vidūratha, Agāvaha, Aniruddha, Cārudeṣṇa, and Sāraṇa—indicating their presence or participation as the battle narrative proceeds.