Shloka 3
Adhyāya 152: Kaurava-sainyavibhāgaḥ
Division and Standardization of the Kaurava Host
महेन्द्रमिव चादित्यैरभिगुप्तं महारथै: । श्र॒ुत्वा दुर्योधनो राजा किं कार्य प्रत्यपद्यत,जनमेजयने पूछा--मुने! दुर्योधनने जब यह सुना कि राजा युधिष्ठिर युद्धकी इच्छासे सेनाओंके साथ यात्रा करके भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके द्वारा सुरक्षित हो कुरुक्षेत्रमें पहुँच गये और वहाँ सेनाका पड़ाव डाले बैठे हैं, पुत्रोंसहित राजा विराट और ट्रुपद भी उनके साथ हैं, केकयराजकुमार, वृष्णिवंशी योद्धा तथा सैकड़ों भूपाल उन्हें घेरे रहते हैं तथा वे आदित्योंसहित घिरे हुए देवराज इन्द्रकी भाँति अनेक महारथी योद्धाओंद्वारा सुरक्षित हैं, तब उसने क्या किया?
mahendram iva cādityair abhiguptaṁ mahārathaiḥ | śrutvā duryodhano rājā kiṁ kārya pratyapadyata ||
Janamejaya asked: “O sage, when King Duryodhana heard that Yudhiṣṭhira—surrounded by many great chariot-warriors and guarded like Indra encircled by the Ādityas—had reached Kurukṣetra with his forces and established his camp, what course of action did he adopt?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral-political dilemma: when confronted with a rival who is strongly supported and well-protected, a ruler must choose his response carefully. It implicitly raises the ethical question of whether one should persist in adharma-driven hostility or seek a dharma-aligned resolution through prudent counsel and restraint.
Janamejaya asks the sage to narrate Duryodhana’s next move after hearing that Yudhiṣṭhira has arrived at Kurukṣetra with a formidable alliance of great warriors, guarded in a manner likened to Indra surrounded by the Ādityas.