Shloka 13

Devanagari script

चतुर्युजो रथा: सर्वे सर्वे चोत्तमवाजिन: । सप्रासऋष्टिका: सर्वे सर्वे शतशरासना:,उन सभी रथोंमें चार-चार घोड़े जुते हुए थे, वे सभी घोड़े अच्छी जातिके थे और सम्पूर्ण रथोंमें प्रास, ऋष्टि एवं सौ-सौ धनुष रखे गये थे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | caturyujā rathāḥ sarve sarve cottamavājinaḥ | saprāsar̥ṣṭikāḥ sarve sarve śataśarāsanāḥ |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Tous les chars étaient attelés de quatre chevaux, et tous les chevaux étaient de race excellente. Chaque char était pourvu de lances et de javelots, et chacun était muni d’une centaine d’arcs.

Word by Word

चतुर्युगाःhaving four yokes (i.e., four-horsed)

रथाःchariots

सर्वेall

चand

उत्तमवाजिनःhaving excellent horses / of excellent steeds

सप्रासऋष्टिकाःwith spears and javelins

सर्वेall

शतशरासनाःhaving a hundred bows

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

ratha (chariots)

vājina (horses)

prāsa (spear)

r̥ṣṭi (javelin/lance)

śarāsana (bow)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined readiness and the weight of responsibility before war: resources, training, and organization are marshaled fully, implying that entering conflict is a deliberate, consequential act rather than an impulsive one.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the army’s equipment: chariots drawn by four fine horses, each chariot armed with spears and javelins and stocked with abundant bows, emphasizing the scale and seriousness of the impending battle preparations.