Shloka 17
Sainyasaṅgraha and Bhāga-Vyavasthā (Forces Assembled and Rival Allocations) | सैन्यसंग्रह-भागव्यवस्था
महेष्वासा राजपुत्रा भ्रातर: पठ्च केकया: । केकयानेव भागेन कृत्वा योत्स्यन्ति संयुगे,पाँच भाई केकयराजकुमार भी महान धनुर्धर हैं। वे समरांगणमें अपने विरोधी केकयदेशीय योद्धाओंको ही अपना भाग (वध्य वैरी) मानकर युद्ध करेंगे
maheṣvāsā rājaputrā bhrātaraḥ pañca kekayāḥ | kekayān eva bhāgena kṛtvā yotsyanti saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya said: “The five Kekaya princes, brothers and mighty archers, will fight in the coming battle, treating the Kekayas themselves as their allotted share—those opponents marked out for them to face and slay in the clash of arms.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames warfare in terms of kṣatriya obligation and ‘bhāga’—one’s allotted portion—suggesting that in a vast conflict each warrior meets the opponents assigned by circumstance, and must act with resolve within that role.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra about the forces and intentions of allied fighters: the five Kekaya princes, famed as archers, will enter the battle and specifically engage Kekaya-side opponents, regarding them as their designated adversaries in the coming war.