Shloka 24
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय संवादः — उपप्लव्यगमनाज्ञा
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Command to Proceed to Upaplavya
अस्त्र द्रोणादर्जुनाद् वासुदेवात् कृपाद् भीष्माद् येन वृतं शूणोमि । यं तं कार्ष्णिप्रतिममाहुरेक॑ स सात्यकि: पाण्डवार्थे निविष्ट:,जिसने द्रोणाचार्य, अर्जुन, श्रीकृष्ण, कृपाचार्य तथा भीष्मसे भी अस्त्रविद्या सीखी है तथा जिस एकमात्र वीरको श्रीकृष्णपुत्र प्रद्युम्मके समान पराक्रमी बताया जाता है, वह सात्यकि भी, सुनता हूँ, पाण्डवोंकी सहायताके लिये आकर टिका हुआ है माद्रीपुत्र: सहदेव:ः कलिड्रान् समागतानजयद् दन्तकूरे । वामेनास्यन् दक्षिणेनैव यो वै महाबलं कच्चिदेनं स्मरन्ति जिसमें दाँत पीसकर अस्त्र-शस्त्र चलाये जाते हैं, उस भयंकर युद्धमें माद्रीनन्दन सहदेवने दाहिने और बायें हाथसे बाणोंकी वर्षा करके अपना सामना करनेके लिये आये हुए कलिंगदेशीय योद्धाओंको परास्त किया था। क्या इस महाबली वीरको भी कौरव कभी याद करते हैं?
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
astraṃ droṇād arjunād vāsudevāt kṛpād bhīṣmād yena vṛtaṃ śṛṇomi |
yaṃ taṃ kārṣṇipratimam āhur ekaṃ sa sātyakiḥ pāṇḍavārthe niviṣṭaḥ ||
mādrīputraḥ sahadevaḥ kaliṅgān samāgatān ajayad dantakūre |
vāmenāsyañ dakṣiṇenaiva yo vai mahābalaṃ kaccid enaṃ smaranti ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “I hear that Sātyaki—who has mastered the science of weapons from Droṇa, Arjuna, Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), Kṛpa, and Bhīṣma, and who alone is spoken of as equal in prowess to the Vṛṣṇi hero (Kārṣṇi, i.e., Pradyumna)—has taken his stand for the Pāṇḍavas’ cause. And in that dreadful battle where warriors grind their teeth, Mādrī’s son Sahadeva, showering arrows with both left and right hands, defeated the assembled Kaliṅga fighters who came to face him. Do the Kauravas remember even this mighty man?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores that righteous causes (pāṇḍava-artha) attract capable allies, and that ignoring the strength and merit of opponents (forgetting warriors like Sātyaki and Sahadeva) is a moral and strategic failure—pride and denial cloud judgment in the approach to war.
Vaiśampāyana reports (as part of the Udyoga Parva’s war-preparation context) that Sātyaki has firmly joined the Pāṇḍavas and is renowned for learning weaponry from the greatest masters. He also recalls Sahadeva’s battlefield feat of defeating the Kaliṅga warriors, then pointedly asks whether the Kauravas even remember such formidable adversaries.