Shloka 15
सर्वास्तृूणान् सायकानामवेक्ष्य किं शिष्ट स्थात् सायकानां रथे मे । का वा जाति: किं प्रमाणं च तेषां ज्ञात्वा व्यक्त तत् समाचक्ष्व सूत,(कति वा सहस्राणि कति वा शतानि ह्याचक्ष्व मे सारथे क्षिप्रमेव ।। 'सूत! तुम मेरे रथपर रखे हुए बाणोंके सारे तरकसोंकी देख-भाल करके ठीक-ठीक समझकर मुझे स्पष्टरूपसे बताओ कि अब उनमें कितने बाण अवशिष्ट रह गये हैं? किस- किस जातिके बाण बचे हैं और उनकी संख्या कितनी है? सारथे! शीघ्र बताओ, कौन बाण कितने हजार और कितने सौ शेष हैं?”
sañjaya uvāca | sarvāstrūṇān sāyakānām avekṣya kiṁ śiṣṭaṁ sthāt sāyakānāṁ rathe me | kā vā jātiḥ kiṁ pramāṇaṁ ca teṣāṁ jñātvā vyaktaṁ tat samācakṣva sūta | kati vā sahasrāṇi kati vā śatāni hy ācakṣva me sārathē kṣipram eva ||
Sanjaya said: “O charioteer, inspect all the quivers of arrows on my chariot and, having ascertained it precisely, tell me clearly what remains of the arrows. What kinds are left, and in what measure? Tell me at once—how many thousands and how many hundreds still remain, O driver.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights practical responsibility amid war: a leader must know the state of resources (arrows, weapons) and demand clear, timely reporting. Ethical weight lies in disciplined awareness—decisions in battle should be grounded in accurate knowledge rather than impulse.
In the midst of the fighting, Sanjaya addresses his charioteer and orders him to inspect the quivers on the chariot, then report precisely how many arrows remain—broken down by type and by count (thousands and hundreds)—and to do so immediately.