Shloka 12
त्वं चैव सौमदत्तिश्ष कर्णश्षैव महारथ: । अश्र॒त्थामा च शल्यश्न वृषसेन: कृपस्तथा
tvaṃ caiva saumadattiś ca karṇaś caiva mahārathaḥ | aśvatthāmā ca śalyaś ca vṛṣasenaḥ kṛpas tathā ||
Sañjaya said: “And you too—Saumadatti (Bhūriśravas)—and Karṇa, that great chariot-warrior; Aśvatthāmā and Śalya as well; Vṛṣasena, and Kṛpa likewise.” In the grim calculus of war, Sañjaya enumerates the foremost Kaurava champions, underscoring how many eminent warriors stand committed to a cause whose moral foundations are already strained—where prowess and loyalty contend with dharma and the consequences of adharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how worldly power gathers around a cause through loyalty and martial excellence, yet the mere presence of great warriors does not guarantee righteousness. It invites reflection on dharma: strength and rank (mahāratha) must be guided by ethical discernment, or they become instruments of destructive outcomes.
Sañjaya is reporting and enumerating prominent Kaurava fighters—Bhūriśravas, Karṇa, Aśvatthāmā, Śalya, Vṛṣasena, and Kṛpa—emphasizing the formidable lineup engaged in the battle during the Droṇa Parva.