Mahabharata · 7.70.50–51
॥
Devanāgarī
पृष्ठगोपास् तु तस्यासन् सौमदत्तिपुरोगमाः ॥
कृपश् च वृषसेनश् च शलः शल्यश् च दुर्जयः ॥
नीतिमन्तो महेष्वासाः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ॥
सैन्धवस्य विधायैवं रक्षां युयुधिरे तदा ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
pṛṣṭhagopās tu tasyāsan saumadattipurogamāḥ ||
kṛpaś ca vṛṣasenaś ca śalaḥ śalyaś ca durjayaḥ ||
nītimanto maheṣvāsāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ ||
saindhavasya vidhāyaivaṃ rakṣāṃ yuyudhire tadā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पृष्ठगोपाः तु तस्य आसन्pṛṣṭhagopāḥ tu tasya āsanhis rear guards were; his rear guards were
सौमदत्तिपुरोगमाःsaumadattipurogamāḥheaded by the son of Somadatta; headed by the son of Somadatta
कृपः च वृषसेनः चkṛpaḥ ca vṛṣasenaḥ caKripa and Vrishasena; Kripa and Vrishasena
शलः शल्यः च दुर्जयःśalaḥ śalyaḥ ca durjayaḥShala and the unconquerable Shalya; Shala and the unconquerable Shalya
नीतिमन्तः महेष्वासाःnītimantaḥ maheṣvāsāḥprudent great archers; prudent great bowmen
सर्वे युद्धविशारदाःsarve yuddhaviśāradāḥall skilled in war; all skilled in battle
सैन्धवस्य विधाय एवम्saindhavasya vidhāya evamhaving thus arranged for the Sindhu king; having thus arranged for the Sindhu king
रक्षाम् युयुधिरे तदाrakṣām yuyudhire tadāhis protection, they then fought; his protection, they fought on
Translation
His rear guards were headed by the son of Somadatta — Kripa and Vrishasena, Shala and the unconquerable Shalya, prudent great archers, all skilled in war. Having thus arranged the protection of the Sindhu king, they fought on.
Version
f5f2c99cfb5b · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:45:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The chapter closes with the full roster of Jayadratha's guard: ahead, Drona and the array; on the flanks, Ashvatthaman and Karna; behind, Kripa, Vrishasena, Shala, Shalya. Six of the greatest, "nitimantah… yuddhavisharadah", prudent and strategic, are drawn around a single man. It is telling that all this might and cunning is spent shielding one man's guilt. The verse teaches that a wrongful cause exhausts its best in self-defense: the skill, the strategy, the valor of the mightiest — all consumed in sheltering one guilty man; and this very excess of protection testifies that the cause is not right, for truth needs no labyrinth of shelters.