Shloka 6
भीष्म-द्रोणादिभिः पाण्डवसेनाक्षयकाल-निर्णयः | Time-estimates for the depletion of the Pāṇḍava forces
Bhīṣma–Droṇa council
अश्वृत्थामा शान्तनव: सैन्धवो5थ जयद्रथ: । दाक्षिणात्या: प्रतीच्याश्न पर्वतीयाश्व ये नृपा:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Aśvatthāmā Śāntanavaḥ Saindhavo 'tha Jayadrathaḥ | Dākṣiṇātyāḥ pratīcyāś ca parvatīyāś ca ye nṛpāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Aśvatthāmā, the Śāntanava (Bhīṣma), the Saindhava (Jayadratha), and Jayadratha as well; with the kings of the southern lands, the western regions, and the mountain countries—these rulers, each with his own forces, advanced in battle-array as a second division, surrounding the great chariot-warrior Bhīṣma on every side.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective action in war is built from regional alliances and personal bonds; ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya obligation to one’s side and the risk of losing moral discernment when individuals become merely parts of a larger war-formation.
A roster of major warriors and regional kings is being named as they advance with their troops in a coordinated formation, surrounding Bhīṣma as a central figure and constituting a distinct military division in the unfolding preparations for conflict.