Shloka 1
Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठका १ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ६८ श्लोक हैं) ऑपन-माज बछ। जज: चतुर्दशाधिकशततमो< ध्याय: धृतराष्ट्रका विषादयुक्त वचन, संजयका धृतराष्ट्रको ही दोषी बताना, कृतवर्माका भीमसेन और शिखण्डीके साथ युद्ध तथा पाण्डव-सेनाकी पराजय धृतराष्ट्र रवाच एवं बहुगुणं सैन्यमेवं प्रविचितं बलम् । व्यूढमेवं यथान्यायमेवं बहु च संजय,धृतराष्ट्रने कहा--संजय! मेरी सेना इस प्रकार अनेक गुणोंसे सम्पन्न है और इस तरह अधिक संख्यामें इसका संग्रह किया गया है। पाण्डव-सेनाकी अपेक्षा यह प्रबल भी है। इसकी व्यूह-रचना भी इस प्रकार शास्त्रीय विधिके अनुसार की जाती है और इस तरह बहुत-से योद्धाओंका समूह जुट गया है
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | evaṁ bahuguṇaṁ sainyam evaṁ pravicitaṁ balam | vyūḍham evaṁ yathānyāyam evaṁ bahu ca sañjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, my army is thus endowed with many advantages, and its strength has been mustered in great numbers. It is more powerful than the Pāṇḍavas’ host. Its battle-array too is being formed in due accordance with the rules of warfare, and in this way a vast company of warriors has been assembled.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how confidence in numbers, organization, and formal correctness can foster complacency and moral blindness. Dhṛtarāṣṭra measures success by external power—troop strength and proper formations—while the epic repeatedly suggests that adharma and partiality undermine even the best-equipped force. It implicitly points to the ethical responsibility of a ruler: strategic competence cannot substitute for righteous judgment.
At the opening of this section in Droṇa Parvan, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses Sañjaya, taking stock of the Kaurava military situation. He asserts that his forces are numerous, well-equipped, and arranged according to proper battle procedure, and that they surpass the Pāṇḍavas’ army. The statement sets the tone for his anxious yet self-justifying outlook as Sañjaya continues reporting the unfolding combat.