Shloka 13
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 55 — Sañjaya’s Report on Pāṇḍava Readiness and Arjuna’s Dhvaja
श्वेतास्तस्मिन् वातवेगा: सदश्चा दिव्या युक्त श्रित्ररथेन दत्ता: । भुव्यन्तरिक्षे दिवि वा नरेन्द्र येषां गतिहीयते नात्र सर्वा | शतं यत् तत् पूर्यते नित्यकालं हतं हतं दत्तवरं पुरस्तात्
sañjaya uvāca |
śvetās tasmin vātavegāḥ sadaś ca divyā yuktāś citrarathena dattāḥ |
bhuvy antarikṣe divi vā narendra yeṣāṃ gatiḥ hīyate nātra sarvā |
śataṃ yat tat pūryate nityakālaṃ hataṃ hataṃ dattavaraṃ purastāt ||
Sañjaya said: “O king, yoked to that chariot are divine white horses, swift as the wind and of excellent breed—gifts once bestowed by Citraratha. Whether on earth, in the mid-air, or even in heaven, their full speed is never diminished or obstructed. A hundred horses are always present in that chariot’s team; and if any is slain, by virtue of a boon granted earlier, another immediately arises to fill its place.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the idea of divinely supported capability: when a cause is backed by higher powers (through boons and rightful alliances), obstacles such as loss and limitation are overcome. Ethically, it underscores how extraordinary resources in war are portrayed as arising from prior merit, blessings, and cosmic order rather than mere human strength.
Sañjaya is describing to the king the extraordinary horses yoked to the hero’s chariot: they are celestial, wind-swift, and unimpeded across earth, sky, or heaven. The team is always complete at a hundred; if any horse is killed, another manifests immediately due to an earlier boon.