Shloka 7
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 65 — Duḥśāsana’s Elephant Corps Engages Arjuna; Retreat to the Śakaṭa-vyūha
रथे रथे शतं चाश्वा बलिनो हेममालिन: । अश्वे अश्वे गोसहस्रं गवां पज्चाशदाविका:,हर एक रथके साथ सोनेके हारोंसे विभूषित सौ-सौ बलवान अश्व थे। प्रत्येक अश्वके पीछे हजार-हजार गौएँ तथा एक-एक गायके पीछे पचास-पचास भेड़ें थीं
rathe rathe śataṃ cāśvā balino hemamālinaḥ | aśve aśve gosahasraṃ gavāṃ pañcāśad āvikāḥ ||
Nārada said: “With each chariot there were a hundred powerful horses, adorned with garlands of gold. Behind each horse followed a thousand cows, and behind each cow there were fifty sheep.” The verse underscores the immense scale of wealth and provisioning associated with royal warfare, hinting at the ethical weight of resources gathered, displayed, and redistributed in the context of conflict.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare and kingship are intertwined with vast material resources—animals, wealth, and display. Implicitly, it invites reflection on the responsibility (dharma) that accompanies power: such abundance can sustain armies and also becomes a moral ledger of acquisition, protection, and rightful distribution.
Nārada is describing an extraordinary scale of possessions accompanying chariots and horses: each chariot has a hundred strong, gold-adorned horses; each horse is followed by a thousand cows; each cow by fifty sheep. It functions as a vivid inventory-like depiction of royal or martial opulence and logistical might.