Shloka 13
को हि शान्तनवं भीष्म॑ द्रोणं वैकर्तनं कृपम् द्रौणिं च सौमदत्ति च कृतवर्माणमेव च,“नरव्याप्र! अक्षौहिणी सेनाके अधिपति, वीर, अस्त्रवेत्ता, भयंकर पराक्रमी, संगठित, रणोन्मत्त, तथा कभी पीछे न हटनेवाले भीष्म, द्रोण, कृपाचार्य, वैकर्तन कर्ण, अश्वत्थामा, भूरिश्रवा, कृतवर्मा, जयद्रथ, शल्य तथा राजा दुर्योधन-जैसे समस्त महारथियोंपर इस जगतमें तुम्हारे सिवा, दूसरा कौन पुरुष विजय पा सकता है?
ko hi śāntanavaṁ bhīṣmaṁ droṇaṁ vaikartanaṁ kṛpam | drauṇiṁ ca saumadattiṁ ca kṛtavarmāṇam eva ca ||
Sañjaya said: “Who indeed could overcome—here in this world—Bhīṣma the son of Śāntanu, Droṇa, Karṇa called Vaikartana (the charioteer’s son), Kṛpa, Aśvatthāman the son of Droṇa, Somadatta’s son (Bhūriśravas), and Kṛtavarman?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary stature of the great warriors on the Kaurava side and implies that defeating them would require exceptional destiny, strategy, and support beyond ordinary human capability—inviting reflection on the limits of mere strength and the grave moral cost of seeking victory in war.
Sañjaya, reporting the battlefield events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, rhetorically asks who could possibly conquer a lineup of renowned Kaurava champions—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Aśvatthāman, Bhūriśravas, and Kṛtavarman—thereby emphasizing the daunting opposition faced in the Kurukṣetra war.