Shloka 123
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
कमलाक्ष: परक्राथी जयवर्मा सुदर्शन: । एते त्वामनुयास्यन्ति पत्तीनामयुतानि षघट्,“मामा! तुम साठ हजार रथियोंकी सेना साथ लेकर अर्जुनपर आक्रमण करो। कर्ण, वृषसेन, कृपाचार्य, नील, उत्तर दिशाके सैनिक, कृतवर्मा, पुरुमित्र, सुतापन, दुःशासन, निकुम्भ, कुण्डभेदी, पराक्रमी, पुरंजय, दृढ़रथ, पताकी, हेमकम्पन, शल्य, आरुणि, इन्द्रसेन, संजय, विजय, जय, कमलाक्ष, परक्राथी, जयवर्मा और सुदर्शन--ये सभी महारथी वीर तथा साठ हजार पैदल सैनिक तुम्हारे साथ जायँगे
kamalākṣaḥ parakrāthī jayavarmā sudarśanaḥ | ete tvām anuyāsyanti pattīnām ayutāni ṣaṭ ||
Sañjaya said: “Kamalākṣa, Parakrāthī, Jayavarmā, and Sudarśana—these warriors will follow you, along with six ayutas (sixty thousand) of infantry.” In the ethical atmosphere of the war, the verse underscores how commanders attempt to overwhelm a single target through sheer numbers and named champions, revealing the escalation of violence and the strategic, often ruthless, calculus that drives the battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the war-ethic tension between valor and massed force: victory is pursued through organized numbers and renowned fighters, showing how strategic ambition can intensify violence and reduce conflict to calculations of manpower.
Sañjaya reports that specific named warriors—Kamalākṣa, Parakrāthī, Jayavarmā, and Sudarśana—will accompany a commander, together with sixty thousand infantry, as part of a coordinated move in the battle (in the surrounding passage, this force is directed against Arjuna).