Shloka 37
Sainyasaṅgraha and Bhāga-Vyavasthā (Forces Assembled and Rival Allocations) | सैन्यसंग्रह-भागव्यवस्था
पितामहं च द्रोणं च कृप॑ कर्ण च दुर्जयम् । जयद्रथं सोमदत्तम श्चवत्थामानमेव च
pitāmahaṃ ca droṇaṃ ca kṛpaṃ karṇaṃ ca durjayam | jayadrathaṃ somadattaṃ cāśvatthāmānam eva ca, tāta |
Duryodhana said: “And (there are) the Grandsire Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, the unconquerable Karṇa, Jayadratha, Somadatta, and Aśvatthāmā as well, dear father. All these are eminent, radiant, and great bowmen. Even Indra together with the gods could not defeat them in battle—what then to say of the Pāṇḍavas?”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pride and reliance on sheer martial strength can distort judgment. Duryodhana measures success by the presence of famed warriors and assumes victory is guaranteed, overlooking the ethical and strategic complexities of dharma-yuddha and the consequences of adharma-driven ambition.
In the Udyoga Parva’s war-preparation context, Duryodhana enumerates the principal champions on his side—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, Karṇa, Jayadratha, Somadatta, and Aśvatthāmā—to reassure an interlocutor and to project confidence that the Pāṇḍavas cannot prevail against such a force.