Shloka 7
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 58: Yudhiṣṭhira’s dawn rites, royal gifts, and the reception of Kṛṣṇa
यावत्य: सिकता गाड्ग्यो यावन्मेरोर्महोपला: । उदन्वति च यावन्ति रत्नानि प्राणिनोडपि च
yāvatyaḥ sikatā gāḍgya yāvan meror mahopalāḥ | udanvati ca yāvanti ratnāni prāṇino 'ḍapi ca ||
ナーラダは言った。「おお、ガードギャよ。数え尽くせぬ砂粒のごとく、メール山の巨岩のごとく、そして大海の宝珠のごとく—生きとし生けるものもまた、その数は測り知れぬ。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a sense of immeasurable scale: living beings are beyond counting, like sand-grains, Meru’s boulders, and ocean-jewels. Ethically, it urges humility and compassion—especially in a war context—by reminding the listener that life is vast and precious, not a mere statistic of conflict.
Nārada addresses the sage Gāḍgya and uses cosmic comparisons (sand, Meru’s rocks, ocean gems) to emphasize the innumerability of beings. The line functions as a reflective, instructive utterance within the Drona Parva’s broader war setting, momentarily shifting attention from battlefield events to a larger moral and metaphysical perspective.