Shloka 22
धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)
“नृपश्रेष्ठल भगदत्त, कृपाचार्य, शल्य, अवन्तीके राजकुमार, जयद्रथ, भूरिश्रवा, सोमदत्त, महाराज बाह्लिक, अश्व॒त्थामा, कृतवर्मा, महाबली मगधनरेश बृहद्वल, क्राथ, सुबलपुत्र शकुनि, लाखों म्लेच्छ, यवन एवं शक, काम्बोजराज सुदक्षिण, त्रिगर्तराज सुशर्मा, पितामह भीष्म, भरद्वाजनन्दन द्रोणाचार्य, गौतमगोत्रीय कृपाचार्य, श्रुतायु, अयुतायु, पराक्रमी शतायु, जलसन्ध, ऋष्यशंगपुत्र राक्षत अलायुध, महाबाहु अलम्बुष और महारथी सुबाहु--ये तथा और भी बहुत-से नरेश मेरे लिये प्राणों और धनका मोह छोड़कर सब-के- सब युद्धके लिये उद्यत हैं ।। तेषां मध्ये स्थितो युद्धे भ्रातृभि: परिवारित: । योधयिष्याम्यहं पार्थान् पज्चालांश्वैव सर्वश:,“इन सबके बीचमें रहकर भाइयोंसे घिरा हुआ मैं रणभूमिमें पाण्डवों और पांचालोंके साथ युद्ध करूँगा
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |
"nṛpaśreṣṭho bhagadattaḥ, kṛpācāryaḥ, śalyaḥ, avantīke rājakumāraḥ, jayadrathaḥ, bhūriśravāḥ, somadattaḥ, mahārāja bāhlikaḥ, aśvatthāmā, kṛtavarmā, mahābalī magadhanareśaḥ bṛhadvalaḥ, krāthaḥ, subalaputraḥ śakuniḥ, lakṣāṇi mlecchāḥ, yavanāś ca śakāś ca, kāmbojarājā sudakṣiṇaḥ, trigartarājā suśarmā, pitāmahaḥ bhīṣmaḥ, bharadvājanandanaḥ droṇācāryaḥ, gautamagotrīyaḥ kṛpācāryaḥ, śrutāyuḥ, ayutāyuḥ, parākramī śatāyuḥ, jalasandhaḥ, ṛṣyaśṛṅgaputraḥ rākṣasaḥ alāyudhaḥ, mahābāhuḥ alambuṣaḥ, mahārathī subāhuḥ—ime tathā anye'pi bahavo nṛpā mama kṛte prāṇadhanamohān tyaktvā sarve yuddhāya udyatāḥ ||
teṣāṃ madhye sthito yuddhe bhrātṛbhiḥ parivāritaḥ |
yodhayiṣyāmy ahaṃ pārthān pāñcālāṃś caiva sarvaśaḥ ||"
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Foremost among kings—Bhagadatta; Kṛpa; Śalya; the prince of Avanti; Jayadratha; Bhūriśravas; Somadatta; King Bāhlika; Aśvatthāmā; Kṛtavarmā; the mighty Magadhan ruler Bṛhadbala; Krātha; Śakuni, son of Subala; countless Mlecchas, Yavanas, and Śakas; Sudakṣiṇa, king of Kāmboja; Suśarmā, king of the Trigartas; grandsire Bhīṣma; Droṇa, son of Bharadvāja; Kṛpa of Gautama’s lineage; Śrutāyu, Ayutāyu, and the valiant Śatāyu; Jalasandha; the rākṣasa Alāyudha, son of Ṛṣyaśṛṅga; the strong-armed Alambuṣa; and the great charioteer Subāhu—these, and many other kings besides, have cast aside attachment to life and wealth for my sake and stand ready for war. Standing amid them on the battlefield, surrounded by my brothers, I shall fight the sons of Pāṇḍu and the Pāñcālas in every way.” Ethically, the verse underscores the tragic inversion of dharma in war: loyalty to a person (“for my sake”) becomes the motive that overrides self-preservation and material attachment, intensifying the moral burden of the conflict and Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s complicity through dependence on others’ sacrifice.
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how personal allegiance and political obligation can eclipse prudence and even ethical clarity: many rulers abandon attachment to life and wealth ‘for my sake,’ revealing the heavy moral weight borne by a leader who benefits from others’ sacrifice in an unrighteous war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra enumerates prominent warriors and allied kings who have rallied to the Kaurava cause. He then voices the battlefield stance—standing among them and surrounded by brothers—declaring the intent to fight the Pāṇḍavas and their Pāñcāla allies.