Shloka 11
इन्द्रविष्णुसमावेतौ मन्दात्मा नावबुद्धयते । संश्रयाद् द्रोणभीष्मा भ्यां कर्णस्य च विकत्थनात्,मैंने सोचा, इन्द्र और विष्णुके समान अचिन्त्य शक्तिशाली इन दोनों वीरोंको मन्दबुद्धि दुर्योधन नहीं समझ पाता है। वह द्रोणाचार्य और भीष्मका भरोसा करके तथा कर्णकी डींगभरी बातें सुनकर मोहित हो रहा है
sañjaya uvāca | indraviṣṇusamāvetau mandātmā nāvabuddhyate | saṃśrayād droṇabhīṣmābhyāṃ karṇasya ca vikatthanāt ||
Sañjaya said: The dull-minded Duryodhana does not truly comprehend those two warriors, united with powers like Indra and Viṣṇu. Relying on Droṇa and Bhīṣma, and being intoxicated by Karṇa’s boastful talk, he remains deluded—misjudging the real balance of strength and the moral gravity of the coming war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral and strategic blindness arises from arrogance and misplaced reliance: Duryodhana, swayed by the prestige of elders and the boasts of allies, fails to recognize the true (almost divine) prowess of the opposing heroes and the ethical consequences of provoking war.
Sañjaya comments on Duryodhana’s state of mind during the pre-war deliberations: he is overconfident because he leans on Droṇa and Bhīṣma and is encouraged by Karṇa’s bravado, and therefore he cannot properly assess the extraordinary strength of the two principal opponents being compared to Indra and Viṣṇu.