Shloka 18

Devanagari script

षष्टिरुष्टसहस्राणि शतानि द्विगुणा हया: । वारणाश्न महाराज सहस्रशतसम्मिता:,महाराज! साठ हजार ऊँट, एक करोड़ बीस लाख घोड़े, एक लाख हाथी, एक लाख रथ, एक लाख छकड़े और उतनी ही हथिनियाँ थीं। गधों और मनुष्योंकी तो गिनती ही नहीं थी

Transliteration

ṣaṣṭir uṣṭa-sahasrāṇi śatāni dvi-guṇā hayāḥ | vāraṇāś ca mahārāja sahasra-śata-sammitāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O great king, there were sixty thousand camels; horses in twice a hundredfold measure; and elephants amounting to one hundred thousand.” The verse underscores the immense scale of royal resources being marshalled—an image of worldly power that, in the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, invites reflection on how such abundance should be governed by dharma rather than pride or excess.

Word by Word

षष्टिःsixty

उष्ट्रof camels

सहस्राणिthousands

शतानिhundreds

द्विगुणाःdouble (in number)

हयाःhorses

वारणाःelephants

चand

महाराजO great king

सहस्रa thousand

शतa hundred

सम्मिताःamounting to / numbering

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

mahārāja (the king addressed)

camels (uṣṭa)

horses (haya)

elephants (vāraṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is describing the enormous quantities of animals—camels, horses, and elephants—indicating the scale of royal preparations and possessions in the Ashvamedhika context.