धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
एवं बहुगुणं सैन्यम् एवं बहुविधं परम् ॥
व्यूढम् एवं यथाशास्त्रम् अमोघं चैव संजय ॥
पुष्टम् अस्माकम् अत्यन्तम् अभिकामं च नः सदा ॥
प्रह्वम् अव्यसनोपेतं पुरस्ताद् दृष्टविक्रमम् ॥
नातिवृद्धम् अबालं च न कृशं न च पीवरम् ॥
लघुवृत्तायतप्रायं सारगात्रम् अनामयम् ॥
आत्तसंनाहशस्त्रं च बहुशस्त्रपरिग्रहम् ॥
असियुद्धे नियुद्धे च गदायुद्धे च कोविदम् ॥
प्रासर्ष्टितोमरेष्व् आजौ परिघेष्व् आयसेषु च ॥
भिण्डिपालेषु शक्तीषु मुसलेषु च सर्वशः ॥
कम्पनेषु च चापेषु कणपेषु च सर्वशः ॥
क्षेपणीषु च चित्रासु मुष्टियुद्धेषु कोविदम् ॥
अपरोक्षं च विद्यासु व्यायामेषु कृतश्रमम् ॥
शस्त्रग्रहणविद्यासु सर्वासु परिनिष्ठितम् ॥
आरोहे पर्यवस्कन्दे सरणे सान्तरप्लुते ॥
सम्यक्प्रहरणे याने व्यपयाने च कोविदम् ॥
नागाश्वरथयानेषु बहुशः सुपरीक्षितम् ॥
परीक्ष्य च यथान्यायं वेतनेनोपपादितम् ॥
न गोष्ठ्या नोपचारेण न च बन्धुनिमित्ततः ॥
न सौहृदबलैश् चापि नाकुलीनपरिग्रहैः ॥
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
evaṃ bahuguṇaṃ sainyam evaṃ bahuvidhaṃ param ||
vyūḍham evaṃ yathāśāstram amoghaṃ caiva saṃjaya ||
puṣṭam asmākam atyantam abhikāmaṃ ca naḥ sadā ||
prahvam avyasanopetaṃ purastād dṛṣṭavikramam ||
nātivṛddham abālaṃ ca na kṛśaṃ na ca pīvaram ||
laghuvṛttāyataprāyaṃ sāragātram anāmayam ||
āttasaṃnāhaśastraṃ ca bahuśastraparigraham ||
asiyuddhe niyuddhe ca gadāyuddhe ca kovidam ||
prāsarṣṭitomareṣv ājau parigheṣv āyaseṣu ca ||
bhiṇḍipāleṣu śaktīṣu musaleṣu ca sarvaśaḥ ||
kampaneṣu ca cāpeṣu kaṇapeṣu ca sarvaśaḥ ||
kṣepaṇīṣu ca citrāsu muṣṭiyuddheṣu kovidam ||
aparokṣaṃ ca vidyāsu vyāyāmeṣu kṛtaśramam ||
śastragrahaṇavidyāsu sarvāsu pariniṣṭhitam ||
ārohe paryavaskande saraṇe sāntaraplute ||
samyakpraharaṇe yāne vyapayāne ca kovidam ||
nāgāśvarathayāneṣu bahuśaḥ suparīkṣitam ||
parīkṣya ca yathānyāyaṃ vetanenopapāditam ||
na goṣṭhyā nopacāreṇa na ca bandhunimittataḥ ||
na sauhṛdabalaiś cāpi nākulīnaparigrahaiḥ ||
Dhritarashtra said: "Such an army, Sanjaya, possessed many virtues; it was manifold and excellent, arrayed according to the science of war, and could not be in vain. Our army was exceedingly strong, ever dear to us, obedient, free from misfortune, and had already shown its valor. It was neither too old nor too young, neither thin nor fat; it was agile, lithe, mostly elongated, with strong bodies and free of disease. It was equipped with armor and weapons, possessed of many kinds of arms, skilled in swordplay, in wrestling, and in fighting with maces; in prasas, rshtis, and tomaras, in iron parighas, in bhindipalas, shaktis, musalas, various bows, kanapas, diverse throwing weapons, and fist-fighting. It had direct experience in the martial sciences, was trained through exercise, and was fully accomplished in all the disciplines of wielding weapons. It was skilled in mounting, leaping down, advancing, vaulting, striking properly, attacking, and retreating. It had been tested many times in riding elephants, horses, and chariots, examined as was proper, and provided with wages. It had been gathered not through idle talk, not through flattery, not because of kinship, not by the strength of friendship, and not by taking in the low-born."
ec21352ebdd7 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:38:20 PM UTC
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Dhritarashtra recounts everything that, by ordinary military reckoning, should have secured victory: training, health, weaponry, discipline, and proper recruitment. This makes his unspoken question ring all the louder: why did such outward perfection fail to save the army?