Shloka 6
भीष्म-द्रोणादिभिः पाण्डवसेनाक्षयकाल-निर्णयः | Time-estimates for the depletion of the Pāṇḍava forces
Bhīṣma–Droṇa council
अश्वृत्थामा शान्तनव: सैन्धवो5थ जयद्रथ: । दाक्षिणात्या: प्रतीच्याश्न पर्वतीयाश्व ये नृपा:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Aśvatthāmā Śāntanavaḥ Saindhavo 'tha Jayadrathaḥ | Dākṣiṇātyāḥ pratīcyāś ca parvatīyāś ca ye nṛpāḥ ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Aśvatthāmā, el Śāntanava (Bhīṣma), el Saindhava (Jayadratha) y también Jayadratha; junto con los reyes de las tierras del sur, de las regiones occidentales y de los países montañosos—todos esos soberanos, cada cual con sus propias huestes, avanzaron en orden de batalla como una segunda división, cercando por todos lados al gran guerrero de carro, Bhīṣma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective action in war is built from regional alliances and personal bonds; ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya obligation to one’s side and the risk of losing moral discernment when individuals become merely parts of a larger war-formation.
A roster of major warriors and regional kings is being named as they advance with their troops in a coordinated formation, surrounding Bhīṣma as a central figure and constituting a distinct military division in the unfolding preparations for conflict.