Shloka 21
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
ततो रथसहस्रेण नागानामयुतेन च
tato rathasahasreṇa nāgānām ayutena ca
Then, with a thousand chariots and also with ten thousand war-elephants, the host advanced—an image of overwhelming martial power being marshalled in the Kurukṣetra war, where sheer force and strategic display press upon the moral weight of the conflict.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immense material force deployed in war, implicitly contrasting external might (numbers, weapons, elephants) with the deeper ethical burden of violence and the responsibility of leaders who choose escalation.
Sañjaya describes a movement or advance of forces characterized by vast numbers—one thousand chariots and ten thousand elephants—signaling a major military mobilization within the Drona Parva battle sequence.