Shloka 26
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
द्रौपद्यास्तनया: पञ्च माद्रीपुत्रोी च पाण्डवौ । शिखण्डी च महेष्वासो राजा चैव युधिछिर:,“जिनकी ओरसे युद्ध करनेवाले धनंजय, सात्यकि, भीमसेन, ट्रुपदकुमार धृष्टद्युम्न, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र, माद्रीकुमार पाण्डुनन्दन नकुल-सहदेव, महाधनुर्धर शिखण्डी तथा स्वयं राजा युधिष्ठिर-जैसे वीर हैं, उनकी विजय कैसे न हो?
drau padyāḥ tanayāḥ pañca mādrīputrau ca pāṇḍavau | śikhaṇḍī ca maheṣvāso rājā caiva yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “There are Draupadī’s five sons, and the two Pāṇḍavas born of Mādrī; there is also Śikhaṇḍī, the great archer, and King Yudhiṣṭhira himself. With such heroes fighting on their side, how could victory not be theirs?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a dharmic confidence: when a side is supported by capable, duty-bound leaders and disciplined allies, victory appears morally and strategically inevitable. It highlights how collective strength—rooted in rightful leadership and steadfast warriors—becomes a basis for hope in a righteous cause.
Sañjaya, reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, lists prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Draupadī’s five sons, Nakula and Sahadeva, Śikhaṇḍī, and King Yudhiṣṭhira—implying that with such fighters on their side, the Pāṇḍavas’ success in the war is hard to doubt.