Shloka 9
Droṇa’s Rebuke to Duryodhana after Jayadratha’s Fall (द्रोणेन दुर्योधनं प्रति प्रत्युक्तिः)
आहूृतेषु समूहेषु तव सैन्यस्य मानद । नाभूल्लोके सम: कश्चित् समूह इति मे मति:,मानद! जब आपकी सेनाके भिन्न-भिन्न समूह सब ओरसे बुलाये गये, उस समय जो महान् समुदाय एकत्र हुआ, उसके समान इस संसारमें दूसरा कोई समूह नहीं था, ऐसा मेरा विश्वास है
āhūteṣu samūheṣu tava sainyasya mānada | nābhūl loke samaḥ kaścit samūha iti me matiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O bestower of honor, when the various divisions of your army were summoned from all sides and assembled, there was no other host in the world equal to that gathered multitude—such is my conviction.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how perception and rhetoric shape a king’s understanding of war: Sañjaya emphasizes the unprecedented scale of the assembled host, implicitly warning that sheer magnitude can inspire confidence yet also intensify the ethical burden and consequences of battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, once the Kaurava forces were called in from different directions and formed up, the resulting massed formation appeared unmatched in the world—an observation meant to convey the enormity and cohesion of the army at that moment.