Shloka 20
कर्ण च वृषसेनं च मद्रराजं॑ च कौरव । दुर्धर्ष दीर्घबाहुं च ये च तेषां पदानुगा:
karṇaṁ ca vṛṣasenaṁ ca madrarājaṁ ca kaurava | durdharṣaṁ dīrghabāhuṁ ca ye ca teṣāṁ padānugāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O Kaurava, Karṇa, and Vṛṣasena, and the king of Madra, and the hard-to-subdue Durdharṣa of long arms—along with all those who followed in their ranks.” In the ethical shadow of war, the verse catalogs leading warriors and their followers, underscoring how personal loyalties and factional allegiance draw entire retinues into the consequences of adharma-driven conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how prominent leaders are never alone in war: their decisions and loyalties pull entire groups of followers into danger and moral consequence. It implicitly stresses responsibility—commanders and celebrated heroes shape the fate of many who ‘walk in their footsteps’.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, naming key Kaurava-side warriors—Karṇa, his son Vṛṣasena, Śalya the king of Madra, and Durdharṣa—together with their accompanying followers, as part of a battlefield account in the Droṇa Parvan.