Shloka 11

Devanagari script

दक्षिणश्वाभवत्‌ पक्ष: कैकेयो5क्षौहिणीपति: । पृष्ठतो द्रौपदेयाश्व सौभद्रश्नापि वीर्यवान्‌,एक अक्षौहिणी सेनाके अधिपति केकय दाहिने पंखमें स्थित हुए। द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र और पराक्रमी सुभद्राकुमार अभिमन्यु--ये पृष्ठभागमें खड़े हुए

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | dakṣiṇaś cābhavat pakṣaḥ kaikeyo ’kṣauhiṇīpatiḥ | pṛṣṭhato draupadeyāś ca saubhadraś cāpi vīryavān |

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Ở cánh phải đứng vị chỉ huy xứ Kekaya, người thống lĩnh một akṣauhiṇī. Phía sau được bố trí năm người con của Draupadī, và cả người con dũng mãnh của Subhadrā (Abhimanyu), làm lực lượng yểm trợ.

Word by Word

दक्षिणःright (side)

श्वःtomorrow / on the morrow

अभवत्was / became

पक्षःwing; flank (of an army)

कैकेयःthe Kekaya (king/leader)

अक्षौहिणीपतिःcommander/lord of an akṣauhiṇī (army division)

पृष्ठतःfrom behind; at the rear

द्रौपदेयाःthe sons of Draupadī (Draupadeyas)

चand

सौभद्रःthe son of Subhadrā (Abhimanyu)

अपिalso

वीर्यवान्valiant; powerful

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Kekaya (Kaikeya) commander

Akṣauhiṇī (military division)

Draupadeyas (five sons of Draupadī)

Saubhadra (Abhimanyu, son of Subhadrā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in warfare, dharma expresses itself as disciplined responsibility: leaders are placed where their strength best serves the whole, and supporting forces are positioned to protect and reinforce—showing that power should be organized under duty and collective purpose, not impulse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports the Pandava-side deployment: a Kekaya leader commanding an akṣauhiṇī takes the right wing, while the Draupadeyas and Abhimanyu are stationed in the rear as support and reserve, indicating a planned battle array.