Shloka 2
Jājali–Tulādhāra-saṃvāda: Yajña, Vṛtti, and Ātma-tīrtha (जाजलि-तुलाधार-संवादः)
एकैकशो भीमबला नागायुतबलास्तथा । एते हि निहता: संख्ये तुल्यतेजोबलैनरै:,इनमेंसे एक-एक नरेश भयानक बलसे सम्पन्न था। दस-दस हजार हाथियोंकी शक्ति रखता था। वे सब-के-सब इस युद्धस्थलमें अपने समान ही तेजस्वी और बलवान् मनुष्योंद्वारा मारे गये हैं
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
ekaikaśo bhīmabalā nāgāyutabalās tathā |
ete hi nihatāḥ saṅkhye tulyatejobalair naraiḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Jeder dieser Könige, einer nach dem anderen, besaß furchterregende Kraft — jeder hatte die Stärke von zehntausend Elefanten. Und doch sind sie alle auf dem Schlachtfeld von Männern erschlagen worden, die ihnen an Glanz und Macht ebenbürtig waren.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly power—even the might of ‘ten thousand elephants’—does not guarantee safety; in war, equally capable opponents destroy one another. The verse supports Yudhiṣṭhira’s moral reflection on the futility and cost of violence, preparing the ground for dharma-centered counsel in the Śānti Parva.
After the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira is contemplating the fallen rulers. He notes that each was extraordinarily strong, yet all were killed in battle by men of comparable prowess—highlighting the scale of loss and his troubled conscience.