Shloka 5
Adhyāya 152: Kaurava-sainyavibhāgaḥ
Division and Standardization of the Kaurava Host
व्यथयेयुरिमे देवान् सेन्द्रानपि समागमे । पाण्डवा वासुदेवश्च विराटद्रुपदौ तथा
Janamejaya uvāca:
vyathayeyur ime devān sendrān api samāgame |
pāṇḍavā vāsudevaś ca virāṭa-drupadau tathā, tapodhana |
Janamejaya dit : «Ô ascète riche en austérités, lorsque tous se rassemblent pour la bataille—les Pāṇḍava, Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), ainsi que Virāṭa et Drupada—ils pourraient tourmenter jusqu’aux dieux eux-mêmes, Indra à leur tête. C’est pourquoi je souhaite entendre, dans le moindre détail, tout ce que firent là les Kaurava et les Pāṇḍava.»
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary collective strength of righteous allies—so great it is compared to the gods—while also modeling a dharmic approach to history: careful inquiry and a desire to hear events in full detail before judging actions in a complex conflict.
Within the frame dialogue, Janamejaya addresses the ascetic narrator and remarks that the assembled Pāṇḍavas with Kṛṣṇa, Virāṭa, and Drupada could trouble even Indra and the gods; he then asks to hear a detailed account of what the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas did in that context.