Shloka 10
Ādi Parva 117 — Pāṇḍu’s Obsequies, Escort of the Pāṇḍavas, and Reception at Nāgasāhvaya
Hastināpura
चित्रायुधो निषद्गी च पाशी वृन्दारकस्तथा । दृढवर्मा दृढक्षत्र: सोमकीर्तिरनूदर: ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
citrāyudho niṣadgī ca pāśī vṛndārakas tathā |
dṛḍhavarmā dṛḍhakṣatraḥ somakīrtir anūdaraḥ ||
dṛḍhasandho jarāsandhaḥ satyasandhaḥ sadaḥsuvāk |
ugraśnavā ugrasenaḥ senānīr duṣparājayaḥ ||
aparājitaḥ paṇḍitako viśālākṣo durādharaḥ |
dṛḍhahastaḥ suhastaś ca vātavega-suvarcasau ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Among Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons were these princes—Citrāyudha, Niṣaṅgī, Pāśī, and Vṛndāraka; also Dṛḍhavarmā, Dṛḍhakṣatra, Somakīrti, and Anūdara; Dṛḍhasandha, Jarāsandha, Satyasandha, and Sadaḥsuvāk; Ugraśnavā, Ugrasena, Senānī, and Duṣparājaya; Aparājita, Paṇḍitaka, Viśālākṣa, and Durādhara; Dṛḍhahasta and Suhasta, along with Vātavega and Suvarcas. In this genealogical recital, the epic underscores how the Kuru house’s power is expressed through a multitude of heirs—yet the moral weight of the story will turn not on the abundance of names, but on how these heirs choose (or fail) to uphold dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
This verse itself teaches indirectly: lineage and power are enumerated, but the Mahābhārata’s ethical thrust is that mere birth, numbers, or impressive epithets (e.g., ‘hard to defeat’, ‘unconquered’) do not guarantee righteousness; dharma is proven by conduct.
Vaiśampāyana continues the catalog of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, listing a sequence of their names and epithets as part of the Adi Parva’s genealogical and dynastic framing.