Shloka 3
द्रोणानीकाभिमुखगमनम्
Abhimanyu advances toward Droṇa’s host
आर्जुनि: क्षत्रधर्मा च बृहत्क्षत्रश्न वीर्यवान् । चेदिपो धृष्टकेतुश्न माद्रीपुत्रो घटोत्कच:,सात्यकि, चेकितान, द्रुपदकुमार धृष्टद्युम्न, पराक्रमी कुन्तिभोज, महारथी द्रुपद, अभिमन्यु, क्षत्रधर्मा, शक्तिशाली बृहत्क्षत्र, चेदिराज धृष्टकेतु, माद्रीकुमार नकुल-सहदेव, घटोत्कच, पराक्रमी युधामन्यु, किसीसे परास्त न होनेवाला वीर शिखण्डी, दुर्धर्षवीर उत्तमौजा, महारथी विराट, क्रोधमें भरे हुए द्रौपदीपुत्र, बलवान् शिशुपालकुमार, महापराक्रमी केकयराजकुमार तथा सहस्रों सूंजयवंशी क्षत्रिय--ये तथा और भी अस्त्रविद्यामें पारंगत एवं रणदुर्मद बहुत-से शूरवीर अपने दलबलके साथ वहाँ उपस्थित थे। इन सबने युद्धकी अभिलाषासे द्रोणाचार्यपर सहसा धावा किया
sañjaya uvāca | ārjuniḥ kṣatradharmā ca bṛhatkṣatraś ca vīryavān | cedipo dhṛṣṭaketuś ca mādrīputro ghaṭotkacaḥ sātyakiś cekitāno drupadakumāro dhṛṣṭadyumno parākramī kuntibhojo mahāratho drupado 'bhimanyuś ca kṣatradharmāḥ śaktimān bṛhatkṣatraḥ cedīrājo dhṛṣṭaketuḥ mādrīkumarau nakula-sahadevau ghaṭotkacaḥ parākramī yudhāmanyuḥ kenāpi aparājito vīraḥ śikhaṇḍī durdharṣavīra uttamaujāḥ mahāratho virāṭaḥ krodhabhareṇa drāupadeyāḥ balavān śiśupālakumāraḥ mahāparākramī kekayarājakumāraś ca sahasraśaḥ sṛñjayavaṃśyāḥ kṣatriyāḥ—ete cānye 'pi astravidyāyāṃ pāragaṃtā raṇadurmada bahavaḥ śūrāḥ svadabalena saha tatra samupasthitāḥ | te sarve yuddhābhilāṣeṇa droṇācārye sahasā dhāvam cakruḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Arjuna—steadfast in the warrior’s code—along with the mighty Bṛhatkṣatra; Dhṛṣṭaketu, lord of Cedi; Ghaṭotkaca, son of Mādrī; Sātyaki; Cekitāna; Drupada’s son Dhṛṣṭadyumna; the valiant Kuntibhoja; the great chariot-warrior Drupada; Abhimanyu; the Mādrī-born twins Nakula and Sahadeva; the powerful Yudhāmanyu; Śikhaṇḍin, unconquered by any; the hard-to-face Uttamaujā; the great chariot-warrior Virāṭa; the sons of Draupadī, blazing with wrath; the strong son of Śiśupāla; the highly valorous princes of Kekaya; and thousands of Sṛñjaya-line kṣatriyas—these and many other heroes, masters of weapon-lore and intoxicated with the fury of battle, stood there with their own forces. Driven by the desire for war, they suddenly charged at Droṇācārya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds kṣatradharma: disciplined courage and collective responsibility in war. It also hints at the ethical tension of battle—warriors, even when righteous, can be driven by wrath and ‘battle-intoxication’, which must be governed by dharma rather than mere rage.
Sañjaya lists major Pāṇḍava-side heroes and allied kṣatriyas assembled with their troops. United by the resolve to fight, they launch a sudden, coordinated charge against Droṇācārya on the battlefield.