Shloka 17
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
Devanagari script
अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणि स्नातका गृहमेधिन:
Transliteration
aṣṭāśītisahasrāṇi snātakā gṛhamedhinaḥ
Translation
ドゥルヨーダナは言った。「八万八千——ヴェーダの学生期を修めて（スナータカ）、家に帰り家住者（グリハメーディン）となった者たちだ。」
Word by Word
अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणिeighty-five thousand (in number)
अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणि:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअष्टाशीतिसहस्र
FormNeuter, Nominative, Plural
स्नातकाःgraduates (Veda-finished students)
स्नातकाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootस्नातक
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
गृहमेधिनःhouseholders
गृहमेधिनः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootगृहमेधिन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
Speaker
दुर्योधन उवाच
Characters & Entities
D
DuryodhanaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The line highlights how appeals to dharma can be framed through numbers and social credentials—invoking learned householders (snātakas, gṛhamedhins) to claim legitimacy and moral weight, even within a politically charged argument.
In Duryodhana’s speech in the Sabha Parva, he enumerates large groups of respected householders who have completed Vedic education, using their sheer number and status to strengthen his position and influence the court’s perception.