Shloka 35

भीष्म–रामजामदग्न्ययुद्धप्रस्थानवर्णनम्

Bhishma’s Account of Parashurama’s Challenge and the March to Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

तदा शतसहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च

Transliteration

tadā śatasahasrāṇi prayutāny arbudāni ca

Translation

ତେବେ ସଂଖ୍ୟା ଆହୁରି ବଢ଼ିଗଲା—ଶତସହସ୍ର, ପ୍ରୟୁତ ଓ ଅର୍ବୁଦ ପର୍ଯ୍ୟନ୍ତ—ମନେ ହେଲା ସେହି ବିରାଟ ପରିମାଣ ସାମ୍ନାରେ ଗଣନା ମଧ୍ୟ ଅସହାୟ।

Word by Word

• तदा: then, at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (तदा-प्रयोगः)
• Form: true

• शतसहस्राणि: hundreds of thousands
• शतसहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतसहस्र (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• प्रयुतानि: ten-thousands (myriads)
• प्रयुतानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयुत (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• अर्बुदानि: arbuda-units (a very large number; traditionally 10^7)
• अर्बुदानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: true

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how quickly human affairs—especially political and military preparations—can expand beyond ordinary limits; it cautions the listener to recognize the true magnitude of consequences when numbers and resources escalate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing something in terms of enormous quantities, using traditional large-number units (śata-sahasra, prayuta, arbuda) to convey an overwhelming scale within the Udyoga Parva’s context of major preparations and mobilization.