Shloka 4
Bhīṣma’s Admonition; Duryodhana’s Rājasūya Aspiration and the Proposal of a Vaiṣṇava-satra
ददर्श स तदा गाव: शतशो5थ सहस््रश: । अड्कैरल॑क्षैश्ष ता: सर्वा लक्षयामास पार्थिव:
dadārśa sa tadā gāvaḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | aṅkair alakṣyaiś ca tāḥ sarvā lakṣayāmāsa pārthivaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。――そのとき王は、自らの牛の群れを、百、千と数えきれぬほど目にした。王はすべてに番号と識別の印を付けさせ、見分けて勘定できるようにした。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how rulers treat wealth as something to be controlled, counted, and claimed. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such possessiveness and pride in material assets often become seeds of adharma, intensifying rivalry and leading to harm.
The king sees vast herds of cows and begins systematically identifying them by numbering and marking. This is part of the episode where Duryodhana’s attention to his resources and status stands in contrast to the Pāṇḍavas’ hardship in exile, sharpening his antagonism.