Shloka 50

चित्रसेन-समागमः / The Engagement with Citrasena and the Gandharvas

Devanagari script

शतमश्वसहस्राणि दशनागायुतानि च । युधिष्ठिरस्यानुयात्रमिन्द्रप्रस्थनिवासिन:,“जिन दिनों महाराज युधिष्छिर इन्द्रप्रस्थमें रहकर इस पृथ्वीका पालन करते थे, उस समय प्रत्येक यात्रामें उनके साथ एक लाख घोड़े और एक लाख हाथी चलते थे। मैं ही उनकी गणना करती, आवश्यक वस्तुएँ देती और उनकी आवश्यकताएँ सुनती थी

Transliteration

śatam aśva-sahasrāṇi daśa nāga-ayutāni ca | yudhiṣṭhirasya anuyātram indraprastha-nivāsinaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “A hundred thousand horses and ten thousand elephants, too, used to accompany Yudhiṣṭhira on his royal progresses—those who dwelt in Indraprastha following in his train.” The verse evokes the scale of righteous kingship: prosperity and orderly retinue gathered around a ruler whose governance was recognized and supported by his people.

Word by Word

• {'śatam': 'a hundred', 'aśva': 'horse', 'sahasra': 'a thousand', 'śatam aśva-sahasrāṇi': 'a hundred thousand (lit. ‘hundreds of thousands’) of horses', 'daśa': 'ten', 'nāga': 'elephant (lit. ‘serpent’

• in epic usage, elephant)', 'ayuta': 'ten thousand', 'daśa nāga-ayutāni': 'ten ‘ten-thousands’ of elephants (i.e., one hundred thousand by strict math

• contextually ‘ten thousand’ is also attested in parallel retellings)', 'ca': 'and', 'yudhiṣṭhirasya': 'of Yudhiṣṭhira', 'anuyātram': 'following journey

• retinue accompanying a march', 'indraprastha': 'Indraprastha (capital city of the Pāṇḍavas)', 'nivāsinaḥ': 'residents

• inhabitants', 'indraprastha-nivāsinaḥ': 'the inhabitants of Indraprastha'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Indraprastha
• horses
• elephants

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the outward signs of a dharmic ruler’s stability—organized wealth, disciplined followers, and public support—suggesting that righteous governance naturally attracts prosperity and orderly social participation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the grandeur of Yudhiṣṭhira’s royal journeys from Indraprastha, emphasizing the immense number of horses and elephants that accompanied him as part of his retinue.