Shloka 5
Adhyāya 152: Kaurava-sainyavibhāgaḥ
Division and Standardization of the Kaurava Host
व्यथयेयुरिमे देवान् सेन्द्रानपि समागमे । पाण्डवा वासुदेवश्च विराटद्रुपदौ तथा
Janamejaya uvāca:
vyathayeyur ime devān sendrān api samāgame |
pāṇḍavā vāsudevaś ca virāṭa-drupadau tathā, tapodhana |
Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai pertapa yang kaya dengan tapa, apabila berhimpun di medan perang, mereka ini—para Pāṇḍava, Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa), serta Virāṭa dan Drupada—mampu menimpakan derita bahkan kepada para dewa yang dipimpin Indra. Maka aku ingin mendengar dengan terperinci segala yang dilakukan oleh pihak Kaurava dan pihak Pāṇḍava di sana.”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the extraordinary collective strength of righteous allies—so great it is compared to the gods—while also modeling a dharmic approach to history: careful inquiry and a desire to hear events in full detail before judging actions in a complex conflict.
Within the frame dialogue, Janamejaya addresses the ascetic narrator and remarks that the assembled Pāṇḍavas with Kṛṣṇa, Virāṭa, and Drupada could trouble even Indra and the gods; he then asks to hear a detailed account of what the Kauravas and Pāṇḍavas did in that context.