Shloka 52

Devanagari script

ततो रथसहस्रेण गजानां च शतैस्त्रिभि: । वाजिभि: पञठ्चसाहस: पज्चालै: सप्रभद्रकैः

Transliteration

tato rathasahasreṇa gajānāṃ ca śatais tribhiḥ | vājibhiḥ pañcasāhasaiḥ pāñcālaiḥ saprabhadrakaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the Pāñcālas advanced—accompanied by the Prabhadrakas—bringing with them a vast force: a thousand chariots, three hundred elephants, and five thousand horses. The verse underscores the scale and organized momentum of the battle, where collective might is marshaled for a decisive push amid the moral strain of fratricidal war.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

रथसहस्रेणwith a thousand chariots

गजानाम्of elephants

चand

शतैःwith hundreds

त्रिभिःthree

वाजिभिःwith horses

पञ्चसाहसैःwith five-thousands (five thousand in number)

पाञ्चालैःwith the Panchalas

सtogether with

प्रभद्रकैःwith the Prabhadrakas

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Pāñcālas

Prabhadrakas

chariots

elephants

horses

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 does not present a direct moral injunction; its ethical resonance lies in showing how war amplifies collective action and consequence. By emphasizing numbers and allied contingents, it highlights the weight of kṣatriya responsibility: decisions in battle are not merely personal but carry the fate of entire forces and communities.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāñcāla forces, along with the Prabhadrakas, move forward with a large, well-equipped army—specified by counts of chariots, elephants, and horses—signaling an intensified phase of the fighting in the Droṇa Parva.