Shloka 3
केकया धष्टकेतुश्न धृष्द्युम्नश्न॒ पार्षत: । राजानश्षान्वयु: पार्थान् बहवो<न्येडनुयायिन:,पाण्डवोंको जब हमने वनमें भेज दिया, उस समय शत्रुओंके राष्ट्रोंकी धूलमें मिला देनेवाले विशाल सैन्यसमूहके साथ श्रीकृष्ण यहाँ आये थे। उनके साथ केकयराजकुमार, धृष्टकेतु, ट्रुपदपुत्र धृष्टद्युम्म तथा और भी बहुत-से नरेश, जो पाण्डवोंके अनुयायी हैं, यहाँतक पधारे थे
Kekayā Dhṛṣṭaketuś ca Dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca Pārṣataḥ | rājānaś cānvyayuḥ Pārthān bahavo 'nye 'nuyāyinaḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “The princes of Kekaya—Dhṛṣṭaketu—and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the son of Pārṣata (Drupada), along with many other kings who follow the Pārthas, have joined the Pāṇḍavas. When we sent the Pāṇḍavas into the forest, Kṛṣṇa came here with a vast host able to grind enemy realms into dust; and these allies came with him as well.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma-driven actions (sending the Pāṇḍavas to exile) can consolidate opposition: righteous claimants attract allies, and political power shifts through networks of loyalty. Ethically, it underscores that injustice breeds resistance and strengthens the moral and strategic position of the wronged party.
Duryodhana is assessing the growing coalition around the Pāṇḍavas. He notes that Kṛṣṇa arrived with a formidable force and that prominent allies—Dhṛṣṭaketu of Kekaya and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Drupada’s son—along with many other kings, have aligned themselves with the Pāṇḍavas.