Shloka 42
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
दुर्योधनश्व कर्णश्र वृषसेनो5थ मद्रराट्,दुर्योधन, कर्ण, वृषसेन, मद्रराज शल्य, अअश्व॒त्थामा, कृपाचार्य तथा स्वयं सिंधुराज जयद्रथ--इन सबने जयद्रथकी रक्षाके लिये संनद्ध होकर किरीटधारी अर्जुनको सब ओरसे घेर लिया
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanaś ca karṇaś ca vṛṣasenaḥ atha madrarāṭ śalyaḥ aśvatthāmā kṛpācāryas tathā svayaṃ sindhurājo jayadrathaḥ | ete sarve jayadrathasya rakṣārthaṃ sannaddhāḥ kirīṭadhāriṇam arjunaṃ sarvataḥ paryavārayamāsuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Duryodhana and Karṇa, Vṛṣasena, and the king of Madra—Śalya—along with Aśvatthāmā and Kṛpācārya, and Jayadratha himself, the ruler of Sindhu—having all armed themselves for Jayadratha’s protection—surrounded Arjuna, the diadem-wearing hero, from every side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya warfare: loyalty and collective duty to protect an ally can be strategically effective, yet it also escalates violence by concentrating force around a single objective. It frames Arjuna’s challenge as not merely martial but moral—how to fulfill a vow and duty amid a coordinated defense.
Key Kaurava warriors—Duryodhana, Karṇa, Vṛṣasena, Śalya, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, and Jayadratha—arm themselves and form a protective ring around Jayadratha, surrounding Arjuna from all sides to prevent Arjuna from reaching and killing Jayadratha.