Shloka 34
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
यमौ च भीमसेनश्न शिशुपालस्य चात्मज: । कारूषा मत्स्यशेषाश्ष केकया: काशिकोसला:
yamau ca bhīmasenaś ca śiśupālasya cātmajaḥ | kārūṣā matsyaśeṣāś ca kekayāḥ kāśikośalāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The twin sons (Nakula and Sahadeva) and Bhīmasena, along with the son of Śiśupāla, and also the warriors of the Kārūṣa country, the remaining Matsyas, the Kekayas, and the Kāśis and Kośalas—these too were present in that great conflict, drawn into the war’s widening circle of alliances and obligations.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war in the Mahābhārata is not merely personal rivalry but a vast network of dynastic ties and regional obligations; many are compelled into conflict by lineage, alliance, and kṣatriya expectations, highlighting the ethical weight and social entanglement of warfare.
Sañjaya is listing notable fighters and allied groups participating in the battle—naming the Pāṇḍava twins and Bhīma, Śiśupāla’s son, and contingents from Karūṣa, Matsya, Kekaya, Kāśi, and Kośala—within the ongoing Kurukṣetra war account.