Shloka 41
रणभूमिवर्णनम् — Devāsuropama-yuddha and the ‘River’ Metaphor of the Battlefield
दश चाश्वसहस््राणि पत्तिकोटी च भारत । एतद् बल॑ पाण्डवानाम भवच्छेषमाहवे,भारत! उस युद्धमें पाण्डवोंके पास छः: हजार रथ, छ: हजार हाथी, दस हजार घोड़े और दो करोड़ पैदल--इतनी सेना शेष थी
daśa cāśvasahasrāṇi pattikoṭī ca bhārata | etad balaṁ pāṇḍavānām abhavaccheṣam āhave ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, sepuluh ribu ekor kuda dan satu krore (sepuluh juta) askar berjalan kaki—itulah baki kekuatan Pāṇḍava dalam pertempuran itu.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral weight of warfare: even when a side is viewed as upholding dharma, the battlefield leaves immense depletion. It invites reflection on responsibility in kingship and the human cost behind strategic ‘numbers’.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the forces still remaining with the Pāṇḍavas during the fighting in Śalya Parva, giving a numerical snapshot of their surviving strength in horses and infantry.