Shloka 17
Sainyasaṅgraha and Bhāga-Vyavasthā (Forces Assembled and Rival Allocations) | सैन्यसंग्रह-भागव्यवस्था
महेष्वासा राजपुत्रा भ्रातर: पठ्च केकया: । केकयानेव भागेन कृत्वा योत्स्यन्ति संयुगे,पाँच भाई केकयराजकुमार भी महान धनुर्धर हैं। वे समरांगणमें अपने विरोधी केकयदेशीय योद्धाओंको ही अपना भाग (वध्य वैरी) मानकर युद्ध करेंगे
maheṣvāsā rājaputrā bhrātaraḥ pañca kekayāḥ | kekayān eva bhāgena kṛtvā yotsyanti saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Lima pangeran Kekaya, saudara-saudara yang perkasa dan pemanah agung, akan bertempur di medan laga, menjadikan orang-orang Kekaya sendiri sebagai bagian yang ditetapkan bagi mereka untuk dihadapi.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames warfare in terms of kṣatriya obligation and ‘bhāga’—one’s allotted portion—suggesting that in a vast conflict each warrior meets the opponents assigned by circumstance, and must act with resolve within that role.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra about the forces and intentions of allied fighters: the five Kekaya princes, famed as archers, will enter the battle and specifically engage Kekaya-side opponents, regarding them as their designated adversaries in the coming war.