Shloka 62
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः
Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra
परेषां सप्त ये राजन् योधा: सारं बल॑ मतम् | राजन! पाँचों भाई पाण्डव, धृष्टद्युम्म और सात्यकि--ये कुल सात योद्धा ही शत्रु- पक्षके सारभूत बल माने जाते हैं ।।
pareṣāṁ sapta ye rājan yodhāḥ sāraṁ balaṁ matam | asmākaṁ tu viśiṣṭā ye bhīṣma-droṇa-kṛpādayaḥ ||
Oh rey, entre los enemigos hay siete guerreros tenidos por la esencia misma y el núcleo de la fuerza de su ejército. Pero de nuestro lado hay campeones insignes—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa y otros—cuya sola presencia define nuestra superior potencia.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how leaders assess and frame military strength: identifying an opponent’s key assets while asserting confidence in one’s own eminent protectors. Ethically, it reflects the psychology of power—how pride and reliance on formidable elders can shape decisions even when the larger conflict raises questions of dharma.
Duryodhana is addressing the king and evaluating the opposing side’s principal fighters as the ‘core’ of their force, then immediately contrasting them with the Kaurava side’s renowned veterans—Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Kṛpa, and others—implying that his own camp possesses superior, decisive strength.