Shloka 203
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
पज्चविंशतिसाहस्रा: प्राद्रवनू शनकैरिव । माननीय नरेश! उस समय हाथी, घोड़े और रथोंसे रहित पचीस हजार पैदल सैनिक धीरे-ही-धीरे पाण्डवोंपर चढ़ाई करने लगे
pañcaviṁśatisāhasrāḥ prādravanū śanakair iva | mānanīya nareśa! tadā hastī-aśva-ratha-rahitāḥ pañcaviṁśati-sahasrāḥ padātayaḥ śanaiḥ-śanaiḥ pāṇḍavān abhyadravan |
Sañjaya sprach: „O ehrwürdiger König! Da rückten fünfundzwanzigtausend Fußsoldaten—ohne Elefanten, ohne Pferde und ohne Streitwagen—gegen die Pāṇḍavas vor, als zögen sie langsam und doch stetig.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark reality of war: even when deprived of major war-assets (elephants, horses, chariots), soldiers still press forward. Ethically, it underscores the relentless momentum of kṣatriya warfare and the human cost—men advancing on foot into danger, driven by duty, command, or circumstance.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a force of twenty-five thousand infantry, lacking mounted and chariot support, begins a measured advance against the Pāṇḍavas, indicating a coordinated movement rather than a sudden, chaotic rush.