Shloka 3
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः
Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra
केकया धष्टकेतुश्न धृष्द्युम्नश्न॒ पार्षत: । राजानश्षान्वयु: पार्थान् बहवो<न्येडनुयायिन:
Kekayā Dhṛṣṭaketuś ca Dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca Pārṣataḥ | rājānaś cānvyayuḥ Pārthān bahavo 'nye 'nuyāyinaḥ ||
Dijo Duryodhana: «Los príncipes de Kekaya—Dhṛṣṭaketu—y Dhṛṣṭadyumna, hijo de Pārṣata (Drupada), junto con muchos otros reyes que siguen a los Pārthas, se han unido a los Pāṇḍavas. Cuando enviamos a los Pāṇḍavas al bosque, Kṛṣṇa vino aquí con una gran hueste capaz de moler los reinos enemigos hasta hacerlos polvo; y con él llegaron también esos aliados.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma-driven actions (sending the Pāṇḍavas to exile) can consolidate opposition: righteous claimants attract allies, and political power shifts through networks of loyalty. Ethically, it underscores that injustice breeds resistance and strengthens the moral and strategic position of the wronged party.
Duryodhana is assessing the growing coalition around the Pāṇḍavas. He notes that Kṛṣṇa arrived with a formidable force and that prominent allies—Dhṛṣṭaketu of Kekaya and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Drupada’s son—along with many other kings, have aligned themselves with the Pāṇḍavas.