Shloka 40
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
द्रौणिर्दुर्योधनश्वैव विकर्णश्ष॒ तवात्मज:
drauṇir duryodhanaś caiva vikarṇaś ca tava ātmajaḥ
Sañjaya berkata: “Aśvatthāman (putera Droṇa), Duryodhana, dan Vikarṇa—bahkan putera tuanku sendiri—[turut berada di sana/terhitung bersama mereka].”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a battlefield catalogue, the verse points to ethical accountability: those who lead and those bound by family ties share responsibility for the war’s consequences. Naming key figures reminds the listener that power, loyalty, and kinship do not exempt one from dharmic judgment.
Sañjaya is reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, listing prominent Kaurava-side figures—Aśvatthāman, Duryodhana, and Vikarṇa (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son)—as part of the forces/participants being described in the Bhīṣma Parva war narrative.