Shloka 31
Adhyāya 195 — Arjuna’s Capability and Restraint Regarding Divyāstras
Udyoga Parva
उनके पीछे सुचित्तके पुत्र रणदुर्मद सत्यधृति, श्रेणिमान्, वसुदान तथा काशिराजके सामर्थ्यशाली पुत्र जा रहे थे। इन सबका अनुगमन करनेवाले बीस हजार रथी, घुँघुरुओंसे सुशोभित दस करोड़ घोड़े, ईषादण्डके समान दाँतवाले, प्रहारकुशल, अच्छी जातिमें उत्पन्न, मदस्रावी और मेघोंकी घटाके समान चलनेवाले बीस हजार हाथी थे ।।
ṣaṣṭir nāga-sahasrāṇi daśānyāni ca bhārata | yudhiṣṭhirasya yānīyāsan yudhi senā mahātmanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: O Bhārata, besides the forces already described, the great-souled Yudhiṣṭhira had, for his own battle-array, sixty thousand elephants and ten thousand more. In war they followed him—elephants of noble breed, skilled for assault, their temples streaming with rut like rain-bearing clouds, moving like living mountains in steadfast attendance upon the king.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic ideal of righteous kingship supported by disciplined strength: power is presented as ordered and accountable to a dharmic ruler (Yudhiṣṭhira), not as mere violence, highlighting responsibility in the use of force.
Vaiśampāyana continues the catalogue of forces, stating that Yudhiṣṭhira’s own battle-host included sixty thousand elephants plus ten thousand more, emphasizing the scale and readiness of the Pandava-aligned army as war approaches.