Shloka 18

Dvārakāyāṃ Sāhāyya-vibhāgaḥ (Alliance Allocation at Dvārakā) / उद्योगपर्व अध्याय ७

Devanagari script

मत्संहननतुल्यानां गोपानामर्बुदं महत्‌ | नारायणा इति ख्याता: सर्वे संग्रामयोधिन:,मेरे पास दस करोड़ गोपोंकी विशाल सेना है, जो सब-के-सब मेरे जैसे ही बलिष्ठ शरीरवाले हैं। उन सबकी “नारायण' संज्ञा है। वे सभी युद्धमें डटकर लोहा लेनेवाले हैं

Transliteration

matsaṃhananatulyānāṃ gopānām arbudaṃ mahat | nārāyaṇā iti khyātāḥ sarve saṅgrāmayodhinaḥ ||

Translation

ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണൻ പറഞ്ഞു—എനിക്ക് ഗോപന്മാരുടെ മഹാസൈന്യം ഉണ്ട്—സംഖ്യയിൽ ഒരു ‘അർബുദം’; അവരുടെ ദേഹബലവും ദേഹഘടനയും എന്റേതിനോട് തുല്യം. അവർ എല്ലാവരും ‘നാരായണർ’ എന്ന പേരിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധർ; യുദ്ധത്തിൽ അചഞ്ചലമായ യോദ്ധാക്കൾ.

Word by Word

मत्संहननतुल्यानाम्of those equal to my bodily build

गोपानाम्of cowherds

अर्बुदम्a crore (ten million)

महत्great, vast

नारायणाःNārāyaṇas (by name/designation)

इतिthus

ख्याताःare known/called

सर्वेall

संग्रामयोधिनःfighters in battle

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Gopas (cowherds)

Nārāyaṇas (designation of the troop)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Strength and readiness are part of righteous leadership: the capacity to protect dharma and deter adharma matters. Kṛṣṇa’s statement highlights that ethical choices in conflict are not made from weakness but from disciplined power under dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war negotiations and preparations, Kṛṣṇa describes the scale and quality of his supporting forces—an immense body of gopas known collectively as ‘Nārāyaṇas,’ all battle-ready—emphasizing the strategic weight he can bring to the impending conflict.