Shloka 16

उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १५१: कृष्णस्य कौरव-अवज्ञा-निर्णयः तथा पाण्डव-योगाज्ञा

Krishna on the Kauravas’ Rejection of Counsel; Pandava Readiness Ordered

Devanagari script

गजा: कण्टकसंनाहा लोहवर्मोत्तरच्छदा: । दृश्यन्ते तत्र गिर्याभा: सहस्रशतयोधिन:

Transliteration

gajāḥ kaṇṭakasaṃnāhā lohavarmottaracchadāḥ | dṛśyante tatra giryābhāḥ sahasraśatayodhinaḥ ||

Translation

ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。そこには、山のごとく巨大な象が数多く見えた。棘ある装具をまとい、鉄の鎧と鉄の象衣に覆われ、各々が幾百幾千の戦士を相手にしても戦えるほどであった。

Word by Word

• गजाः: elephants
• गजाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• कण्टक-संनाहाः: having spiked harness/armour
• कण्टक-संनाहाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कण्टकसंनाह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• लोह-वर्म-उत्तरच्छदाः: with iron armour and iron covering/cloth
• लोह-वर्म-उत्तरच्छदाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लोहवर्मोत्तरच्छद
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• दृश्यन्ते: are seen/appear
• दृश्यन्ते: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Present, Third, Plural, Atmanepada, Passive/Impersonal (lakāra: laṭ)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र

• गिरि-आभाः: mountain-like
• गिरि-आभाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गिर्याभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सहस्र-शत-योधिनः: fighting with thousands and hundreds (i.e., very many warriors)
• सहस्र-शत-योधिनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सहस्रशतयोधिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• elephants (gajāḥ)
• spiked harness/armour (kaṇṭakasaṃnāha)
• iron armour (lohavarma)
• iron caparison/covering (uttaracchada)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the build-up of overwhelming martial resources intensifies the moral burden of choosing war; such displays of power function as intimidation and signal that the coming conflict will be catastrophic, thereby sharpening the ethical imperative to seek a just resolution.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes the war array: massive elephants, outfitted with spiked war-gear and iron protection, stand like mountains and are portrayed as capable of engaging vast numbers of enemy warriors—an image of formidable readiness on the battlefield.