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:,वहाँ लाखों योद्धाओंके साथ युद्ध करनेमें समर्थ पर्वतोंके समान विशालकाय बहुत-से हाथी दिखायी देते थे, जो काँटेदार साज-सामान, लोहेके कवच तथा लोहेकी ही झूल धारण किये हुए थे

Transliteration

gajāḥ kaṇṭakasaṃnāhā lohavarmottaracchadāḥ | dṛśyante tatra giryābhāḥ sahasraśatayodhinaḥ ||

Translation

तेथे काटेरी साज-सामानाने सज्ज, लोखंडी कवच व लोखंडी झूल धारण केलेले—पर्वतासारखे विशाल हत्ती दिसत होते; जे शेकडो-हजारो योद्ध्यांशी लढण्यास समर्थ होते।

Word by Word

गजाःelephants

कण्टक-संनाहाःhaving spiked harness/armour

लोह-वर्म-उत्तरच्छदाःwith iron armour and iron covering/cloth

दृश्यन्तेare seen/appear

तत्रthere

गिरि-आभाःmountain-like

सहस्र-शत-योधिनःfighting with thousands and hundreds (i.e., very many warriors)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

elephants (gajāḥ)

spiked harness/armour (kaṇṭakasaṃnāha)

iron armour (lohavarma)

iron caparison/covering (uttaracchada)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

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.