Shloka 2
Jājali–Tulādhāra-saṃvāda: Yajña, Vṛtti, and Ātma-tīrtha (जाजलि-तुलाधार-संवादः)
एकैकशो भीमबला नागायुतबलास्तथा । एते हि निहता: संख्ये तुल्यतेजोबलैनरै:
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
ekaikaśo bhīmabalā nāgāyutabalās tathā |
ete hi nihatāḥ saṅkhye tulyatejobalair naraiḥ ||
Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: “Cada uno de esos reyes, uno tras otro, poseía una fuerza terrible: cada cual tenía el vigor de diez mil elefantes. Y, sin embargo, todos han sido abatidos en el campo de batalla por hombres iguales a ellos en fulgor y poder.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly power—even the might of ‘ten thousand elephants’—does not guarantee safety; in war, equally capable opponents destroy one another. The verse supports Yudhiṣṭhira’s moral reflection on the futility and cost of violence, preparing the ground for dharma-centered counsel in the Śānti Parva.
After the great war, Yudhiṣṭhira is contemplating the fallen rulers. He notes that each was extraordinarily strong, yet all were killed in battle by men of comparable prowess—highlighting the scale of loss and his troubled conscience.