Shloka 32
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
सुराम्बुप्रेतवित्तानां पतील्लोंकेश्वरान् हयान् । सिनीवालीमनुमतिं कुहूं राकां च सुव्रताम्
surāmbu-preta-vittānāṁ patīl lokeśvarān hayān | sinīvālīm anumatiṁ kuhūṁ rākāṁ ca suvratām ||
Duryodhana invokes a sweeping catalogue of powers and presiding forces—lords of intoxicants and waters, spirits of the departed, wealth, and the rulers of the world, along with swift horses; and he also calls upon the lunar goddesses Sinīvālī, Anumatī, Kuhū, and the well-vowed Rākā. In the ethical atmosphere of the war, this kind of invocation functions as a bid for auspiciousness and support, revealing a reliance on external powers even as the conflict is driven by human choices and responsibility.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, amid war, leaders may seek auspicious support through invocations of cosmic and ritual powers; yet the broader Mahabharata context underscores that moral responsibility for one’s choices cannot be transferred to invoked forces.
Duryodhana is calling upon various presiding powers—over intoxicants, waters, the dead, wealth, worldly sovereignty, and the lunar phases (Sinīvālī, Anumatī, Kuhū, Rākā)—as part of a formal appeal for favor and success in the unfolding conflict.