Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
म्लेच्छाक्ष शतसाहसत्रा: शकाश्न यवनै: सह । सुदक्षिणश्न काम्बोजस्त्रिगर्ताधिपतिस्तथा
mlecchākṣaśatasāhastrāḥ śakāś ca yavanaiḥ saha | sudakṣiṇaś ca kāmbojas trigartādhipatis tathā ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “There were hundreds of thousands of Mlecchas; and the Śakas together with the Yavanas; also the Kāmbojas of the southern region, and likewise the lord of the Trigartas.” The verse underscores the vast, multi-ethnic mustering of forces in the war, highlighting how the conflict draws in many frontier peoples and rulers, intensifying the scale and moral weight of the battle’s devastation.
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys the immense breadth of the war’s mobilization: many peoples and rulers, including frontier groups, are drawn into the conflict. Ethically, it heightens the sense of collective responsibility and the tragic, far-reaching consequences of adharma-driven rivalry.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra is recounting the composition and magnitude of the forces involved, listing various groups—Mlecchas, Śakas, Yavanas, Kāmbojas, and the ruler of Trigarta—who are present as part of the war’s assembled hosts.