Shloka 31
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
अनीकं दशसाहस्रमश्चानां भरतर्षभ । आसीद् गान्धारराजस्य विशालप्रासयोधिनाम्,भरतश्रेष्ठी] उस समय गान्धारराज शकुनिके पास विशाल प्रास लेकर युद्ध करनेवाले घुड़सवारोंकी दस हजार सेना मौजूद थी। उसीको साथ लेकर वह उस जन-संहारकारी युद्धमें पाण्डव-सेनाके पिछले भागकी ओर गया और वे सब मिलकर पैने बाणोंसे उस सेनापर चोट करने लगे
anīkaṁ daśasāhasram aśvānāṁ bharatarṣabha | āsīd gāndhārarājasya viśālaprāsayodhinām ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó touro entre os Bharatas, o rei de Gandhāra tinha uma força de dez mil cavaleiros — combatentes que brandiam lanças longas e maciças. Levando esse contingente consigo, moveu-se para a retaguarda do exército dos Pāṇḍava naquela batalha destruidora de homens, e juntos começaram a atingir aquela tropa com flechas afiadas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war magnifies strategic calculation and mass violence: large formations and specialized weapons are deployed to exploit vulnerabilities (such as the rear of an army). Ethically, it highlights the tension between kṣatriya warfare and destructive, opportunistic tactics that intensify slaughter.
Sañjaya reports that Śakuni, the king of Gandhāra, possesses a ten-thousand-strong cavalry unit equipped with large lances. He takes this force and moves toward the rear of the Pāṇḍava formation, where they collectively assail the troops with sharp arrows.