Shloka 19
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 3 — Sātyaki on Inner Disposition, Legitimacy, and Coercive Readiness
गदप्रद्मुम्नसाम्बांश्न कालसूर्यानलोपमान् । द्रौपदीकी कीर्तिको बढ़ानेवाले ये पाँचों पाण्डव-कुमार अपने पिताके समान ही डील- डौलवाले, वैसे ही पराक्रमी तथा उन्हींके समान रणोन्मत्त शूरवीर हैं। महान् धनुर्धर सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्युका वेग तो देवताओंके लिये भी दुःसह है, गद, प्रद्युम्म और साम्ब-- ये काल, सूर्य और अग्निके समान अजेय हैं--इन सबका सामना कौन कर सकता है? | १७-१८ ह || ते वयं धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्र शकुनिना सह
gadapradymnasāmbāṁś ca kālasūryānalopamān | draupadī-kīrti-vardhanān ete pañca pāṇḍava-kumāraḥ pituḥ samānā eva dīrgha-dehāḥ, tathā parākramiṇaḥ, tathaiva raṇonmatta-śūrāḥ | mahān dhanurdharaḥ subhadrā-kumāro ’bhimanyos tejo-vego devair api duḥsahaḥ | gadaḥ pradyumnaḥ sāmbaś ca kāla-sūrya-analopamā ajeyāḥ—etān sarvān kaḥ pratiboddhum arhati | te vayaṁ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putrāḥ śakuninā saha
Vaiśampāyana said: “Gada, Pradyumna, and Sāmba—men comparable to Time, the Sun, and Fire—stand there, unconquerable. And those five sons of the Pāṇḍavas, enhancers of Draupadī’s fame, are built like their fathers, equal to them in prowess, and fierce heroes intoxicated with battle. Above all, Subhadrā’s son Abhimanyu is a great archer whose blazing speed and energy are hard even for the gods to endure. Who could possibly withstand all of these? Yet we—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons—stand together with Śakuni.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores the moral and practical peril of unjust conflict: when opponents are strong and righteous in reputation, arrogance and reliance on cunning counsel (Śakuni) become ethically suspect and strategically disastrous. It also highlights how virtue and fame (Draupadī’s kīrti) are sustained by the deeds of one’s kin.
Vaiśampāyana describes the formidable strength of the Pāṇḍava side and their allies—especially Abhimanyu and the Yādava heroes Gada, Pradyumna, and Sāmba—using cosmic similes (Time, Sun, Fire). Against this backdrop, the Kauravas (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons) are portrayed as standing with Śakuni, implying anxious calculation in the face of overwhelming opposition.