Shloka 39
दश दन्तिसहस्राणि सप्त चैव शतानि च । पूर्णे शतसहस्रे द्वे हयानां तत्र भारत
daśa dantisahasrāṇi sapta caiva śatāni ca | pūrṇe śatasahasre dve hayānāṃ tatra bhārata
Sañjaya said: “There were ten thousand elephants, and seven hundred more; and there, O Bhārata, there were also two full hundreds of thousands of horses.” The verse underscores the immense scale of the war-host, hinting at the vast resources consumed and the grave human and animal cost that accompanies adharma-driven conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Though primarily a battlefield statistic, the verse implicitly highlights how vast military pride and material strength amplify destruction; ethical reflection arises from recognizing the enormous cost of war in lives and resources.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the size of the forces present, enumerating the numbers of elephants and horses to convey the magnitude of the host in the Shalya Parva context.