Shloka 15
अध्याय ५५ — भीष्मस्य प्रचण्डविक्रमः, अर्जुनप्रत्युत्तरं, कृष्णस्य चक्रोद्यतिः
Chapter 55: Bhīṣma’s onslaught, Arjuna’s counter, and Kṛṣṇa’s raised discus
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा सहित: सर्वसोदरै: । अश्वातकैर्विकर्णक्ष॒ तथा चाम्बछकोसलै:
tato duryodhano rājā sahitaḥ sarvasodaraiḥ | aśvātakaiḥ vikarṇaś ca tathā cāmbaṣṭha-kosalaiḥ śakunine (sabalaputrāya) senā-sahitaḥ droṇācārya-rakṣaṇe yogaṃ dadau |
Sañjaya dit : Alors le roi Duryodhana, accompagné de tous ses frères et rejoint par les guerriers d’Aśvātaka, de Vikarna, des Ambaṣṭhas et des Kosalas, rangea ses forces pour protéger Droṇācārya. Puis, transporté de joie et entouré de ses frères et des contingents alliés, il entreprit aussi de sauvegarder l’armée de Śakuni, fils de Subala.
(संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, leaders prioritize the protection of key commanders and allies; ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between loyalty to one’s faction and the broader demands of dharma—showing how strategic cohesion can persist even when moral clarity is strained.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, with his brothers and allied regional contingents, commits his forces to guarding Droṇācārya and then to protecting Śakuni’s army—indicating a deliberate consolidation of defensive support around crucial Kaurava leaders.