Shloka 5
Saṃśaptaka-Varūthinī Saṅgrāma — Binding and Counter-Binding (संशप्तक-वरूथिनी-संग्रामः)
शतं ग्रामवरांश्वैव दद्यामर्जुनदर्शिने । तथा तस्मै पुनर्दद्यां श्वेतमश्वतरीरथम्
śataṃ grāmavarāṃś caiva dadyām arjunadarśine | tathā tasmai punar dadyāṃ śvetam aśvatarīratham ||
Kepadanya yang telah memperlihatkan Arjuna akan kuberikan seratus desa terbaik; dan lagi, akan kuberikan sebuah kereta perang yang ditarik oleh bagal-bagal putih.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime ethic where honor and reputation are treated as tangible currency: merely encountering (and surviving to report) a supreme warrior like Arjuna is framed as an exceptional feat deserving royal-level rewards. It invites reflection on how societies convert martial prestige into material patronage.
Sañjaya reports a statement of intended reward: the speaker would grant a hundred fine villages and additionally a white mule-drawn chariot to a person distinguished by having ‘seen Arjuna’—i.e., having come face-to-face with him in battle and lived, or having directly witnessed his prowess.