Shloka 8
Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
ततः शतसहस्राणां हयानां सुबलात्मज: | विमलप्रासहस्तानामृष्टितोमरधारिणाम्
tataḥ śatasahasrāṇāṃ hayānāṃ subalātmajaḥ | vimalaprāsahastānām ṛṣṭitomaradhāriṇām ||
Sañjaya disse: Então o filho de Subala chegou para a batalha com cem mil cavaleiros. Esses cavaleiros traziam nas mãos lanças, piques e dardos, brilhantes e imaculados — uma força imponente, confiante em seu valor marcial e pronta para impelir a guerra adiante.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as battlefield reportage rather than direct moral instruction; ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between martial excellence (kṣatriya-dharma) and the destructive scale of war—where pride in arms and numbers becomes a force that accelerates collective suffering.
Sañjaya describes Śakuni’s arrival on the battlefield with an enormous cavalry contingent—one hundred thousand horsemen—armed with gleaming spears, lances, and javelins, signaling the Kaurava side’s mobilization and readiness to intensify the fighting.