Shloka 13
Droṇasya raudra-prayogaḥ
Droṇa’s intensified assault and the Pāṇḍava response
सैन्धवश्नलृ कलिड्रश्न विकर्णश्र॒ तवात्मज: । दक्षिण पाश्वमास्थाय समतिष्ठन्त दंशिता:,कृपश्च कृतवर्मा च चित्रसेनो विविंशति: । दुःशासनमुखा यत्ता: सव्यं पक्षमपालयन् कृपाचार्य, कृतवर्मा, चित्रसेन, विविंशति और दुःशासन आदि वीर योद्धा बड़ी सावधानीके साथ द्रोणाचार्यके वाम पार्श्वकी रक्षा करने लगे
saindhavaś ca śalyaś ca kaliṅgaś ca vikarṇaś ca tavātmajaḥ | dakṣiṇa-pārśvam āsthāya samatiṣṭhanta daṃśitāḥ || kṛpaś ca kṛtavarmā ca citraseno viviṃśatiḥ | duḥśāsana-mukhā yattāḥ savyaṃ pakṣam apālayan ||
Sañjaya said: Jayadratha, Śalya, the king of Kaliṅga, and Vikarṇa—along with your son—took their stand on the right flank, fully armed and resolute. On the left flank, Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, Citraseṇa, Viviṃśati, and the warriors led by Duḥśāsana kept vigilant guard. Thus Drona’s formation was protected on both sides by determined defenders, revealing the Kauravas’ reliance on coordinated duty in war even as the conflict pressed them toward morally fraught ends.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even within a morally troubled war, the verse highlights disciplined coordination and protective duty toward a leader (Droṇa). It implicitly raises the ethical tension of steadfast loyalty and military competence being employed in service of an adharma-leaning cause—showing how virtue-like qualities (vigilance, unity, courage) can be ethically ambiguous depending on the end they serve.
Sañjaya reports the Kauravas arranging guards around Droṇa: Jayadratha, Śalya, the Kaliṅga contingent, Vikarṇa, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son hold the right flank, while Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, Citraseṇa, Viviṃśati, and Duḥśāsana’s group protect the left flank, ensuring the commander’s wings are secured.