Shloka 31
Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
वनमाला और हल धारण करनेवाले वीर बलराम कैलास-शिखरके समान गौरवर्ण हैं। उनमें दस हजार हाथियोंका बल है। वे भी उसी पक्षमें रहेंगे, जहाँ श्रीकृष्ण हैं
Vanamālāṃ haladharaṃ vīraṃ Balarāmaṃ Kailāsa-śikhara-samaṃ gauravarṇaṃ; tasmin daśa-sahasra-hasti-balaṃ; sa api tasmin pakṣe sthāsyati yatra Śrī-Kṛṣṇaḥ.
Vaiśampāyana said: The heroic Balarāma—adorned with a forest-garland and bearing the plough—shines with a fair radiance like the peak of Mount Kailāsa. Possessing the strength of ten thousand elephants, he too will stand on that very side where Śrī Kṛṣṇa is.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True alignment in a moral crisis is shown by choosing the side associated with dharma and wise guidance; immense strength is meaningful when directed by righteous allegiance—here expressed as Balarāma standing with the side where Kṛṣṇa is.
The narrator describes Balarāma’s appearance and extraordinary power, then states his intended alignment in the conflict: he will remain with the faction that includes Śrī Kṛṣṇa.