Shloka 423
Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match
रथानामर्बुदं चापि पादाता बहवस्तथा । युधिष्ठिरके यहाँ तीन पद्म दस हजार हाथीसवार और घुड़सवार, एक अर्बुद (दस करोड़) रथारोही तथा असंख्य पैदल सैनिक हैं
rathānām arbudaṃ cāpi pādātā bahavas tathā | yudhiṣṭhirake … |
Duryodhana continued: “There is also an arbuda of chariot-warriors, and likewise countless foot-soldiers.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power can be measured and projected through numbers, yet such enumeration can also serve pride and intimidation. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, mere magnitude of forces is not equivalent to dharma; rhetoric about strength often reveals the speaker’s ambition and insecurity.
Duryodhana is describing (and amplifying) the scale of Yudhiṣṭhira’s military resources—chariots and infantry—using the grand numerical term ‘arbuda’. The line belongs to a larger passage where he presents force-counts to shape perceptions of political and military balance.