Shloka 29
सेनासमागमः — The Convergence of Armies
राज्ञां स्वबलमुख्यानां प्राधान्येनापि भारत । राजन! दुर्योधनकी अपनी सेनाके जो प्रधान-प्रधान राजा थे, उनके भी ठहरनेके लिये हस्तिनापुरमें स्थान नहीं रह गया था ।। २८ है ।। तत: पज्चनदं चैव कृत्स्नं च कुरुजाड्लम्,इसलिये भारत! पंचनद प्रदेश, सम्पूर्ण कुरुजांगल देश, रोहितकवन (रोहतक), समस्त मरुभूमि, अहिच्छत्र, कालकूट, गंगातट, वारण, वाटधान तथा यामुनपर्वत--यह प्रचुर धन- धान्यसे सम्पन्न सुविस्तृत प्रदेश कौरवोंकी सेनासे भलीभाँति घिर गया
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | rājñāṃ svabalamukhyānāṃ prādhānyenāpi bhārata | rājann duryodhanasya senāyāḥ pradhāna-pradhānā rājāno 'pi sthātum hastināpure sthānaṃ naiva śeṣam āsīt || tataḥ pañcanadaṃ caiva kṛtsnaṃ ca kurujāṅgalam | rohitakavanaṃ caiva marubhūmiṃ samantataḥ | ahicchatraṃ kālakūṭaṃ gaṅgātaṭaṃ varaṇaṃ vāṭadhānaṃ tathā yāmunaparvataṃ ca | etat prabhūta-dhana-dhānya-sampannaṃ suvistṛtaṃ deśaṃ kaurava-senayā samantād āvṛtaṃ babhūva ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, bahkan raja-raja terkemuka—masing-masing memimpin bala sendiri dan berkedudukan tinggi—yang datang sebagai sekutu utama Duryodhana, tidak lagi menemukan tempat menginap di Hastināpura. Maka seluruh wilayah Pañcanada dan segenap Kuru-jāṅgala, beserta hutan Rohitaka, jalur-jalur gurun di sekitarnya, Ahicchatra, Kālakūṭa, tebing-tebing Sungai Gaṅgā, Varaṇa, Vāṭadhāna, dan gunung Yāmuna—tanah yang luas, kaya harta dan hasil padi—telah dikepung dan dipenuhi oleh tentera Kaurava.”
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked political ambition and the gathering of military power can overwhelm civic life: even a capital city cannot contain the influx of allied forces. Ethically, it foreshadows the social and material strain that precedes adharma-driven war—where the pursuit of dominance displaces order and burdens the land and people.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the massive mustering of Duryodhana’s allied kings and their troops. Hastināpura runs out of space to accommodate them, so the Kaurava forces spread out and effectively occupy/encircle a wide set of regions—Pañcanada, Kuru-jāṅgala, and other named locales—showing the scale of the impending conflict.