एतेषां बहुसाहस्रा रथा नागा हयास् तथा ॥
योत्स्यन्ते ते तनुं त्यक्त्वा कुन्तीपुत्रप्रियेप्सया ॥
पाण्डवैः सह राजेन्द्र तव सेनासु भारत ॥
अग्निमारुतवद् राजन्न् आह्वयन्तः परस्परम् ॥
अजेयौ समरे वृद्धौ विराटद्रुपदाव् उभौ ॥
महारथौ महावीर्यौ मतौ मे पुरुषर्षभौ ॥
वयोवृद्धाव् अपि तु तौ क्षत्रधर्मपरायणौ ॥
यतिष्येते परं शक्त्या स्थितौ वीरगते पथि ॥
संबन्धकेन राजेन्द्र तौ तु वीर्यबलान्वयात् ॥
आर्यवृत्तौ महेष्वासौ स्नेहपाशसिताव् उभौ ॥
eteṣāṃ bahusāhasrā rathā nāgā hayās tathā ||
yotsyante te tanuṃ tyaktvā kuntīputrapriyepsayā ||
pāṇḍavaiḥ saha rājendra tava senāsu bhārata ||
agnimārutavad rājann āhvayantaḥ parasparam ||
ajeyau samare vṛddhau virāṭadrupadāv ubhau ||
mahārathau mahāvīryau matau me puruṣarṣabhau ||
vayovṛddhāv api tu tau kṣatradharmaparāyaṇau ||
yatiṣyete paraṃ śaktyā sthitau vīragate pathi ||
saṃbandhakena rājendra tau tu vīryabalānvayāt ||
āryavṛttau maheṣvāsau snehapāśasitāv ubhau ||
They have many thousands of chariots, elephants, and horses; they will fight, giving up their bodies, desiring the good of Kunti's sons. Together with the Pandavas, O lord of kings, they will act within your armies, O Bharata, like fire and wind, calling one another to battle, O king. Virata and Drupada, both elders, are unconquerable in battle; in my judgment, both of them are maharathas of great valor, bulls among men. Though advanced in years, these two are devoted to the kshatriya dharma; they will exert their utmost effort, standing on the path that leads heroes. By kinship, O lord of kings, and by their bond with valor and strength, these two noble great archers are bound by the bonds of love.
dea442d645e6 · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:32:37 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Bhishma shows that the strength of the Pandavas rests on more than the five brothers alone. Around them stand the sons of Draupadi, Abhimanyu, Satyaki, Uttamaujas, and Yudhamanyu, together with their elder allies Virata and Drupada. What matters most in this reckoning is bond and loyalty: kinship, the memory of suffering, and trust become a fighting strength no less than chariots and weapons.