Shloka 13
'परंतु अच्युत! धृतराष्ट्रपक्षेके सभी महारथी मेरी प्रतिज्ञा भंग करनेके लिये सिंधुराजको निश्चय ही सबसे पीछे खड़े करेंगे और वह उन सबके द्वारा सुरक्षित होगा ।। दश चैका च ता: कृष्ण अक्षौहिण्य: सुदुर्जया: । हतावशेषास्तत्रेमा हन्त माधव संख्यया,“माधव! श्रीकृष्ण! कौरवोंकी वे ग्यारह अक्षौहिणी सेनाएँ, जो अत्यन्त दुर्जय हैं और उनमें मरनेसे बचे हुए जितने सैनिक विद्यमान हैं, उनसे तथा पूर्वोक्त सभी महारथियोंसे युद्धस्थलमें घिरे होनेपर दुरात्मा सिंधुराजको कैसे देखा जा सकता है?
daśa caikā ca tāḥ kṛṣṇa akṣauhiṇyaḥ sudurjayāḥ | hatāvaśeṣās tatremā hanta mādhava saṅkhyayā ||
Sañjaya said: “O Kṛṣṇa, those armies—ten and one more—eleven akṣauhiṇīs, exceedingly hard to overcome, and now consisting of the survivors of the slain, are gathered there in full strength. Alas, O Mādhava—when the Sindhu king is placed at the rear and guarded by all the great chariot-warriors, how could he be seen (let alone reached) amid such a massed host?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective power and protective formations can make a single wrongdoer seem unreachable, yet it also frames the ethical tension of vows in war: a righteous promise must confront overwhelming odds without abandoning discernment, courage, and strategic clarity.
Sañjaya describes to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (addressing Kṛṣṇa within the reported scene) that the Kauravas have assembled their remaining forces—eleven akṣauhiṇīs—and will keep Jayadratha (Sindhurāja) at the rear under heavy protection, making it extremely difficult for the Pāṇḍavas, especially Arjuna, to even locate and reach him.