Shloka 16

Devanagari script

काशिराजश्न शैब्यश्व प्रीयमाणौ युधिष्ठिरे । अक्षौहिणीभ्यां सहितावागतौ पृथिवीपती,काशिराज और शैब्य दोनों युधिष्ठिरके बड़े प्रेमी थे। वे दोनों नरेश एक-एक अक्षौहिणी सेनाके साथ उपप्लव्य नगरमें आये

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | kāśirājaś ca śaibyaś ca prīyamāṇau yudhiṣṭhire | akṣauhiṇībhyāṁ sahitāv āgatau pṛthivīpatī |

Translation

കാശിരാജനും ശൈബ്യരാജനും—ഇരുവരും യുധിഷ്ഠിരനോടു അത്യന്തം സ്നേഹമുള്ളവർ. ആ രണ്ടു ഭൂപതിമാർ ഓരോരുത്തരും ഓരോ അക്ഷൗഹിണി സൈന്യവുമായി ഉപപ്ലവ്യ നഗരത്തിൽ എത്തി।

Word by Word

काशिराजःthe king of Kashi

चand

शैब्यःShaibya (a king/person named Śaibya)

चand

अश्वप्रीयमाणौboth being very fond (of horses) / being pleased

युधिष्ठिरेin/with regard to Yudhiṣṭhira (towards Yudhiṣṭhira)

अक्षौहिणीभ्याम्with two akṣauhiṇīs (army divisions)

सहितौtogether, accompanied

आगतौhaving come / arrived

पृथिवीपतीthe two kings (lords of the earth)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Yudhiṣṭhira

Kāśirāja (King of Kāśī)

Śaibya (King of the Śaibyas)

Akṣauhiṇī (army unit)

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?

Righteous leadership attracts support: kings who esteem Yudhiṣṭhira’s integrity and dharmic standing come forward with resources, showing that loyalty and ethical alignment are decisive in forming alliances.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports that two allied rulers—Kāśirāja and the Śaibya king—arrive together, each bringing an akṣauhiṇī of troops, strengthening Yudhiṣṭhira’s side as preparations for the coming war intensify.