Shloka 4

Devanagari script

सहसमप्रचाश्चैकैकं गजानां पृष्ठतोडन्वयु: । अश्वे अश्वे शतं गावो गवां पश्चादजाविकम्‌,एक-एक हाथीके पीछे हजार-हजार घोड़े जा रहे थे और एक-एक घोड़ेके साथ सौ-सौ गौएँ एवं गौओंके पीछे भेड़ और बकरियोंके झुंड चलते थे

Transliteration

sahasam apracāś caikaikaṃ gajānāṃ pṛṣṭhato 'nvayuḥ | aśve aśve śataṃ gāvo gavāṃ paścād ajāvikam ||

Translation

Nārada said: “In that procession, a thousand horses followed behind each elephant; with each horse went a hundred cows, and behind the cows moved flocks of goats and sheep.” The verse highlights the immense scale of wealth and provisioning that accompanies royal and martial enterprises, implying both the burden of stewardship and the ethical responsibility to protect and sustain dependents even amid war.

Word by Word

सहस्रम्a thousand

प्रचाःherds/companies (of animals)

चand

एकैकम्each one (individually)

गजानाम्of elephants

पृष्ठतःfrom behind/behind

अन्वयुःfollowed

अश्वेwith/for each horse (lit. in a horse)

अश्वेwith/for each horse (repetition for distributive sense)

शतम्a hundred

गावःcows

गवाम्of cows

पश्चात्after/behind

अजाविकम्goats-and-sheep (flock)

Speaker

नारद उवाच

Characters & Entities

Nārada

elephants (gaja)

horses (aśva)

cows (go)

goats and sheep (ajāvikam)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Material power and military movement entail vast dependents—animals, herds, and attendants—so dharma includes responsible stewardship: provisioning, protection, and restraint in the use of wealth amid conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nārada describes a grand, wealth-laden movement: behind each elephant come a thousand horses; each horse is accompanied by a hundred cows; and behind the cows follow flocks of goats and sheep—emphasizing the enormous scale of the retinue and resources.