Shloka 23
द्रुपदवाक्यं
Drupada’s Counsel on Conciliation and Alliance Mobilization
उद्धव: क्षेमकश्नैव वाटधानश्व पार्थिव: | श्रुतायुश्न दृढायुश्व शाल्वपुत्रश्न वीर्यवान्
Uddhavaḥ kṣemakaś caiva vāṭadhānaś ca pārthivaḥ | śrutāyuś ca dṛḍhāyuś ca śālvaputraś ca vīryavān ||
Drupada berkata: “Uddhava, Kṣemaka, dan juga Vāṭadhāna—raja itu—bersama Śrutāyu dan Dṛḍhāyu; serta putera Śālva yang gagah berani.”
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how dharma in a political crisis is not isolated: the decisions of many rulers and allies collectively determine whether counsel, restraint, and justice prevail or whether conflict escalates into war.
Drupada is naming and counting prominent kings/warriors—an enumeration of forces and allies relevant to the diplomatic and military preparations that characterize the Udyoga Parva leading toward the Kurukṣetra war.