Shloka 126
Duḥṣantasya Vana-praveśaḥ
King Duḥṣanta’s Entry into the Forest Hunt
कुरूणां विग्रहे तस्मिन् समागच्छन् बहून् यथा । राज्ञां शतसहस्राणि योत्स्यमानानि संयुगे,कौरवोंके उस महासमरमें युद्ध करनेके लिये राजाओंके कई लाख योद्धा आये थे। दस हजार वर्षोतक गिनती की जाय तो भी उन असंख्य योद्धाओंके नाम पूर्णतः नहीं बताये जा सकते। यहाँ कुछ मुख्य-मुख्य राजाओंके नाम बताये गये हैं, जिनके चरित्रोंसे इस महाभारत-कथाका विस्तार हुआ है
kurūṇāṁ vigrahe tasmin samāgacchan bahūn yathā | rājñāṁ śata-sahasrāṇi yotsyamānāni saṁyuge ||
Dāśa said: In that conflict involving the Kurus, there assembled—just as one might imagine—countless forces: hundreds of thousands of kings, all intent on fighting in battle. The passage underscores the overwhelming scale of the war and hints at the moral weight of a struggle that draws innumerable rulers into violence, setting the stage for the later naming of principal figures whose deeds drive the epic’s unfolding.
दाश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the immense magnitude of war: when rulers choose conflict, violence rapidly expands beyond individuals into a vast collective calamity. It implicitly warns that royal ambition and rivalry can draw innumerable lives into suffering, making the ethical burden of choosing war extraordinarily heavy.
The speaker describes how, in the Kuru conflict, vast numbers of kings gathered, ready to fight. This functions as a transition into identifying notable leaders among the multitude—those whose actions and character will shape the epic’s subsequent events.