अहं वैकर्तनः कर्णश् चित्रसेनो विविंशतिः ॥
भूरिश्रवाः शलः शल्यो वृषसेनो दुरासदः ॥
पुरुमित्रो जयो भोजः काम्बोजश् च सुदक्षिणः ॥
सत्यव्रतो महाबाहुर् विकर्णो दुर्मुखः सहः ॥
दुःशासनः सुबाहुश् च कलिङ्गश् चाप्य् उदायुधः ॥
विन्दानुविन्दाव् आवन्त्यौ द्रोणो द्रौणिः ससौबलः ॥
ahaṃ vaikartanaḥ karṇaś citraseno viviṃśatiḥ ||
bhūriśravāḥ śalaḥ śalyo vṛṣaseno durāsadaḥ ||
purumitro jayo bhojaḥ kāmbojaś ca sudakṣiṇaḥ ||
satyavrato mahābāhur vikarṇo durmukhaḥ sahaḥ ||
duḥśāsanaḥ subāhuś ca kaliṅgaś cāpy udāyudhaḥ ||
vindānuvindāv āvantyau droṇo drauṇiḥ sasaubalaḥ ||
"I myself, Karna Vaikartana, Chitrasena, Vivimshati, Bhurishravas, Shala, Shalya, invincible Vrishasena, Purumitra, Jaya, Bhoja, and Sudakshina the Kamboja, mighty-armed Satyavrata, Vikarna, Durmukha, Saha, Duhshasana and Subahu, and the man of Kalinga, arms in hand, Vinda and Anuvinda of Avanti, Drona, the son of Drona, and the son of Subala…"
c805a8024661 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:36:52 PM UTC
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A long roll of great names should inspire confidence, but its very length betrays the opposite: to shield one man, Duryodhana must summon an entire army. It is telling that the more defenders are named, the clearer it becomes how formidable one Arjuna is, girded by his vow and by the Lord. The catalogue of strength is an involuntary confession of fear. The verse teaches that outward support, gathered in numbers, cannot make up for an inward flaw: where truth and spirit are lacking, a host of allies only throws the defenselessness of the cause into sharper relief.