Shloka 10
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 65 — Duḥśāsana’s Elephant Corps Engages Arjuna; Retreat to the Śakaṭa-vyūha
भक्ष्यानज्नपाननिचया: पर्वता: क्रोशमुच्छिता: । तस्याश्वमेधे निर्वत्ते राज्ञ: शिष्टास्त्रयोदश
bhakṣyānajñapānanicayāḥ parvatāḥ krośamucchitāḥ | tasyāśvamedhe nirvṛtte rājñaḥ śiṣṭās trayodaśa
Nārada said: “There were heaps of foods and drinks—like mountains rising a krośa high. When that king’s Aśvamedha sacrifice was completed, thirteen (things/portions) still remained.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immense scale of royal ritual giving and hospitality: abundance is portrayed not for indulgence alone but as a sign of a king’s capacity to sustain guests, priests, and dependents through dharmic sacrifice and distribution.
Nārada describes the extraordinary provisions arranged for a king’s Aśvamedha—piles of food and drink compared to mountains—and notes that even after the sacrifice concluded, thirteen remained as surplus/leftovers.