Shloka 30
Sainyasaṅgraha and Bhāga-Vyavasthā (Forces Assembled and Rival Allocations) | सैन्यसंग्रह-भागव्यवस्था
समस्त पाण्डव अतिरथी शूरवीर, यशस्वी, प्रतापी, युद्धविजयी तथा अग्नि और सूर्यके समान तेजस्वी हैं ।।
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | samastāḥ pāṇḍavā atirathinaḥ śūrā vīrā yaśasvinaḥ pratāpinaḥ yuddhajayinaś ca agni-sūrya-sama-tejasaḥ | yeṣāṁ yudhiṣṭhiro netā goptā ca madhusūdanaḥ | yodhāś ca pāṇḍavau vīrau savyasācī vṛkodaraḥ | sañjaya, yudhiṣṭhira-neteṣu madhusūdana-gopteṣu savyasāci-vṛkodara-pramukheṣu yodheṣu nakula-sahadeva-dhṛṣṭadyumna-sātyaki-drupada-dhṛṣṭaketu-suketu-uttamaujā-yudhāmanyu-śikhaṇḍi-kṣatradeva-uttara-kāśi-cedi-matsya-sainyeṣu sūñjaya-kṣatriyeṣu virāṭa-kumāra-babhruṣu ca prabhadraka-pāñcāleṣu ca yuddhāya udyateṣu, yeṣām icchāṁ vinā indro 'pi pṛthivīm apahartuṁ na śaknoti, teṣu parvata-vidāraṇa-sāmarthyeṣu deva-sama-pratāpeṣu sarva-sadguṇa-sampanneṣu pāṇḍaveṣu mama duṣṭaḥ putro duryodhanaḥ mama krandataḥ api yuddhaṁ kartum icchati |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “All the Pāṇḍavas are great chariot-warriors—heroic, renowned, mighty, victorious in battle, blazing like fire and the sun. Sañjaya, Yudhiṣṭhira is their leader; Madhusūdana (Kṛṣṇa) is their protector; and among their foremost fighters stand the two Pāṇḍava heroes—Arjuna the ambidextrous archer and Bhīma the wolf-bellied. Along with them are Nakula and Sahadeva; Dhṛṣṭadyumna of the Pr̥ṣata line; Sātyaki; Drupada; Dhṛṣṭaketu; Suketu; the Pāñcāla champions Uttamaujā and the unconquerable Yudhāmanyu; Śikhaṇḍin; Kṣatradeva; Uttara, the prince of Virāṭa; and the forces of Kāśī, Cedi, and Matsya—together with the Sṛñjaya kṣatriyas, Babhru and the Prabhadrakas of Pāñcāla—arrayed and ready for war on their side. Without their consent, even Indra could not seize this earth. They are steadfast in battle, capable of rending mountains, radiant like the gods, and endowed with every noble quality. Yet my wicked son Duryodhana insists on making war with those very Pāṇḍavas, even as I cry out in protest.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral blindness and attachment can drive a ruler to enable adharma: Dhṛtarāṣṭra recognizes the Pāṇḍavas’ virtue, strength, and Kṛṣṇa’s protection, yet admits his son’s wicked insistence on war. The passage highlights responsibility in governance—knowing what is right is insufficient if one fails to restrain wrongdoing.
In Udyoga Parva, as war becomes imminent, Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to Sañjaya, enumerating the Pāṇḍavas and their powerful allies, stressing their near-invincible position (even Indra could not take the earth against their will). He laments that despite his protests, Duryodhana still wants to fight them.