Shloka 8
सोमदत्तो5थ कौरव्यो भूरिभूरिश्रवा: शल: । अभश्र॒त्थामा कृपो द्रोण: सैन्धवश्च जयद्रथ:
Somadatto 'tha Kauravyo Bhūribhūriśravāḥ Śalaḥ | Aśvatthāmā Kṛpo Droṇaḥ Saindhavaś ca Jayadrathaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then Somadatta of the Kuru line, Bhūribhūriśravā, Śala, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, Droṇa, and Jayadratha of Sindhu were present—named among the foremost Kaurava-aligned warriors.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that major conflicts are driven by networks of allegiance—family, teacher-student bonds, and political ties. It implicitly raises ethical tension: revered teachers and elders (Droṇa, Kṛpa) become participants in factional war, showing how dharma can be strained when loyalty and duty collide.
Vaiśampāyana is listing prominent warriors aligned with the Kauravas—Somadatta, Bhūribhūriśravā, Śala, Aśvatthāmā, Kṛpa, Droṇa, and Jayadratha—situating them as key figures in the assembly’s political-military landscape that will culminate in the Kurukṣetra war.