Shloka 42
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
यवना: पारदाश्वैव शकाश्न सह बाह्लिकै: । काकवर्णा दुराचारा: स्त्रीलोला: कलहप्रिया:,जो आसुरी मायाको जानते हैं, जिनकी आकृति अत्यन्त भयंकर है तथा जो भयानक नेत्रोंसे युक्त हैं एवं जो कौओंके समान काले, दुराचारी, स्त्रीलम्पट और कलहप्रिय होते हैं वे यवन, पारद, शक और बाह्नलीक भी वहाँ युद्धके लिये उपस्थित हुए
sañjaya uvāca |
yavanāḥ pāradāś caiva śakāś ca saha bāhlikaiḥ |
kākavarṇā durācārāḥ strīlolāḥ kalahapriyāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The Yavanas, the Pāradas, the Śakas, and the Bāhlikas also came there, ready for battle—men described as crow-dark in complexion, given to misconduct, lustful after women, and fond of quarrel. The verse frames these foreign contingents as morally undisciplined, underscoring how the war draws in many peoples and how ethical judgment is used to characterize allies and enemies in the epic’s narration.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how moral evaluation is woven into war narration: groups are not only listed as combatants but also judged by conduct (durācāra), self-control (strīlola), and temperament (kalahapriya), implying that adharma manifests as lack of restraint and love of conflict.
Sañjaya is enumerating additional forces present for the battle, naming Yavanas, Pāradas, Śakas, and Bāhlikas as having arrived to fight, while describing them with stereotyped traits to emphasize the breadth and ferocity of the assembled armies.