Shloka 7
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 58: Yudhiṣṭhira’s dawn rites, royal gifts, and the reception of Kṛṣṇa
यावत्य: सिकता गाड्ग्यो यावन्मेरोर्महोपला: । उदन्वति च यावन्ति रत्नानि प्राणिनोडपि च
yāvatyaḥ sikatā gāḍgya yāvan meror mahopalāḥ | udanvati ca yāvanti ratnāni prāṇino 'ḍapi ca ||
Nārada dit : «Ô Gāḍgya, aussi innombrables que les grains de sable, aussi nombreux que les grands rochers du mont Meru, et aussi abondants que les joyaux de l’océan—tels sont aussi les êtres vivants.»
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a sense of immeasurable scale: living beings are beyond counting, like sand-grains, Meru’s boulders, and ocean-jewels. Ethically, it urges humility and compassion—especially in a war context—by reminding the listener that life is vast and precious, not a mere statistic of conflict.
Nārada addresses the sage Gāḍgya and uses cosmic comparisons (sand, Meru’s rocks, ocean gems) to emphasize the innumerability of beings. The line functions as a reflective, instructive utterance within the Drona Parva’s broader war setting, momentarily shifting attention from battlefield events to a larger moral and metaphysical perspective.