Shloka 62
परेषां सप्त ये राजन् योधा: सारं बल॑ मतम् | राजन! पाँचों भाई पाण्डव, धृष्टद्युम्म और सात्यकि--ये कुल सात योद्धा ही शत्रु- पक्षके सारभूत बल माने जाते हैं ।। ६१ ई ।। अस्माकं तु विशिष्टा ये भीष्मद्रोणकृपादय:
pareṣāṁ sapta ye rājan yodhāḥ sāraṁ balaṁ matam | asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā ye bhīṣma-droṇa-kṛpādayaḥ ||
O King, among the enemy there are seven warriors regarded as the very essence and core strength of their host. But on our side stand distinguished champions—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and others—whose presence defines our superior force.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how leaders assess and frame military strength: identifying an opponent’s key assets while asserting confidence in one’s own eminent protectors. Ethically, it reflects the psychology of power—how pride and reliance on formidable elders can shape decisions even when the larger conflict raises questions of dharma.
Duryodhana is addressing the king and evaluating the opposing side’s principal fighters as the ‘core’ of their force, then immediately contrasting them with the Kaurava side’s renowned veterans—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and others—implying that his own camp possesses superior, decisive strength.