Shloka 20
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
जलसन्धो<थार्ष्यशृज्जी राक्षसश्वाप्पलायुध: । अलनम्बुषो महाबाहु: सुबाहुश्च महारथ:
jalasandho ’thārṣyaśṛṅgī rākṣasaś cāpy alāyudhaḥ | alanambuṣo mahābāhuḥ subāhuś ca mahārathaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Jalasandha; and Ārṣyaśṛṅgī; the Rākṣasa Alāyudha as well; Alanambuṣa of mighty arms; and Subāhu, a great chariot-warrior—these too were present among the combatants.” The verse functions as a roll-call of formidable fighters, underscoring how the war draws in powerful beings (including rākṣasas) and intensifies the moral weight of the conflict through sheer scale and ferocity.
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse has no direct doctrinal instruction; its ethical force lies in showing the vast, indiscriminate mobilization of power in war—so many mighty figures are named that the listener senses how conflict expands beyond restraint, increasing collective responsibility and the tragedy of destruction.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra (as narrator) continues listing notable fighters present in the battle context of the Śalya Parva, naming several powerful warriors, including a rākṣasa (Alāyudha), to emphasize the formidable composition of the forces.