Shloka 39
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
दश दन्तिसहस्राणि सप्त चैव शतानि च । पूर्णे शतसहस्रे द्वे हयानां तत्र भारत
daśa dantisahasrāṇi sapta caiva śatāni ca | pūrṇe śatasahasre dve hayānāṃ tatra bhārata
Sañjaya sprach: „O Bhārata, es waren zehntausend Elefanten und noch siebenhundert dazu; und dort, o Bhārata, gab es auch volle zweihunderttausend Pferde.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Though primarily a battlefield statistic, the verse implicitly highlights how vast military pride and material strength amplify destruction; ethical reflection arises from recognizing the enormous cost of war in lives and resources.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the size of the forces present, enumerating the numbers of elephants and horses to convey the magnitude of the host in the Shalya Parva context.