Shloka 18
Parīkṣit-janma-saṃkaṭa and Kuntī’s petition to Vāsudeva (परिक्षिज्जन्मसंकटं कुन्त्याः प्रार्थना च)
षष्टिरुष्टसहस्राणि शतानि द्विगुणा हया: । वारणाश्न महाराज सहस्रशतसम्मिता:
ṣaṣṭir uṣṭa-sahasrāṇi śatāni dvi-guṇā hayāḥ | vāraṇāś ca mahārāja sahasra-śata-sammitāḥ ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Oh gran rey, había sesenta mil camellos; caballos en una medida doble de cien veces; y elefantes que sumaban cien mil». El verso subraya la inmensidad de los recursos reales movilizados: una imagen de poder mundano que, en el marco ético del Mahābhārata, invita a pensar que tal abundancia debe regirse por el dharma y no por el orgullo ni el exceso.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights vast material and military resources, implicitly pointing to the Mahābhārata’s ethical concern: power and abundance must be restrained and directed by dharma, not by vanity or exploitation.
Vaiśampāyana is describing the enormous quantities of animals—camels, horses, and elephants—indicating the scale of royal preparations and possessions in the Ashvamedhika context.