Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — इरावान्-आवन्त्ययोः युद्धम्, घटोत्कच-भगदत्त-संघर्षः, मद्रेश्वर-विक्षेपः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Irāvān vs the Avanti princes; Ghaṭotkaca vs Bhagadatta; Śalya checked by the Mādrī twins
कृपदु:शासनाभ्यां च जयद्रथमुखैस्तथा । भगदत्तविकर्णाभ्यां द्रौणिसौबलबाह्विकैः,द्रोणाचार्य, भीष्म, कृतवर्मा, कृपाचार्य, दुःशासन, जयद्रथ, भगदत्त, विकर्ण, अश्वत्थामा, शकुनि तथा बाह्लिक आदि प्रमुख वीरों तथा अन्य शक्तिशाली महामनस्वी लोगोंद्वारा मेरी सेना सदा सुरक्षित रहती है। ऐसी सेना भी यदि संग्राममें मारी गयी तो इसमें हमलोगोंका पुरातन प्रारब्ध ही कारण है
kṛpaduryodhanābhyāṃ ca jayadrathamukhais tathā | bhagadattavikarṇābhyāṃ drauṇisaubalabāhlikaiḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: “Meu exército é continuamente mantido em segurança por campeões poderosos — por Kṛpa e Duryodhana, e também por Jayadratha e os demais; por Bhagadatta e Vikarṇa; e por Aśvatthāman, Śakuni e Bāhlika. Ainda assim, se até uma hoste tão guardada está sendo ceifada na batalha, a causa só pode ser o nosso antigo destino já amadurecido.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when one has strong external supports—powerful allies, strategy, and protection—outcomes in the Mahābhārata are repeatedly framed as shaped by prior karma and ripened destiny; this reflection also hints at the moral weight of earlier choices that culminate in unavoidable consequences.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava host is guarded by renowned champions (Kṛpa, Duryodhana, Jayadratha, Bhagadatta, Vikarṇa, Aśvatthāmā, Śakuni, Bāhlika). Yet despite such protection, the army is being destroyed in battle, which he attributes to long-standing fate.