युधामन्युश्च विक्रान्त उत्तमौजाश्च वीर्यवान् |
सौभद्रो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्व एव महारथाः ||
Meaning
The strong Yodhamanyu and the brave Uttamaujas, the son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadra and Arjuna), and the sons of Draupadi, all – of them are great warriors.
Word to Word Meaning
युधामन्युश्च – Yudhamanyu and
विक्रान्त – valiant, courageous
उत्तमौजाश्च – Uttamaujas and
वीर्यवान् – mighty, powerful
सौभद्रो – Subhadra’s son (referring to Abhimanyu)
द्रौपदेयाश्च – sons of Draupadi (the five sons of Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas)
सर्व – all
एव – indeed
महारथाः – great warriors
Widely Accepted Interpretations
- Warriors mentioned here are Yudhyamanyu, Uttamauja, Abhimanyu(son of Subhadra), Prativindya, Sutasoma, Shrutakarma, Shatanika, Shrutasena(sons of Draupadi).
- Although Duryodhana is addressing his own army but he again acknowledges the strength of Pandav’s army. He calls the five sons of Draupadi maharathi, which means they are capable of fighting multiple warriors at the same time.
- Yudhyamanyu and Uttamauja were assigned to protect Arjun. Arjun is one of the most powerful warrior and an obvious target, thus Yudhyamanyu and Uttamauja were assigned to protect him. Mentioning them highlights the importance of defence during warfare.
- Abhimanyu and sons of Draupadis loose their life in the battle. Thus mentioning them is also a reminder of the high cost of upholding Dharma.