Shloka 42

दुर्योधन–द्रोणसंवादः

Arjuna-vīrya-prasaṃśā and renewed battle formation

Devanagari script

बलानीको जयानीको जयाश्वो रथवाहन: । चन्द्रोदय: समरथो विराटभ्रातर: शुभा:

Transliteration

balānīko jayānīko jayāśvo rathavāhanaḥ | candrodayaḥ samaratho virāṭabhrātaraḥ śubhāḥ ||

Translation

Kripa said: “Balānīka, Jayānīka, Jayāśva, Rathavāhana, Candrodaya, and Samaratha—these auspicious brothers of Virāṭa (have fallen/are being enumerated).” In the grim accounting of war, the verse marks how even noble and ‘fortunate’ lineages are not spared, underscoring the moral weight of kṣatriya conflict where kinship and merit alike are consumed by battle.

Word by Word

बलानीकःBalānīka (proper name)

जयानीकःJayānīka (proper name)

जयाश्वःJayāśva (proper name)

रथवाहनःRathavāhana (proper name; lit. 'having a chariot as vehicle')

चन्द्रोदयःCandrodaya (proper name; lit. 'moonrise')

समरथःwell-equipped with chariots / having equal chariot-force

विराटभ्रातरःthe brothers of Virāṭa

शुभाःauspicious / excellent

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛpa

Balānīka

Jayānīka

Jayāśva

Rathavāhana

Candrodaya

Samaratha

Virāṭa

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the tragic impartiality of war: even those described as śubhāḥ (noble/fortunate) are swept away. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of violence and the heavy burden of kṣatriya-dharma when conflict escalates beyond restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛpa is listing (or reporting) notable warriors—identified here as the brothers of King Virāṭa—within the battlefield narration of Droṇa Parva. Such cataloguing typically occurs amid reports of who has been slain or who is present in the fighting.