Shloka 16
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
रथानां तु शते शिष्टे द्वे एव तु जनार्दन । दन्तिनां च शतं साग्रं त्रिसाहस्रा: पदातय:,“सुबलपुत्र शकुनिके पास पाँच सौ घुड़सवारोंकी सेना अभी शेष है। जनार्दन! उसके पास दो सौ रथ, सौसे कुछ अधिक हाथी और तीन हजार पैदल सैनिक भी शेष रह गये हैं
rathānāṁ tu śate śiṣṭe dve eva tu janārdana | dantināṁ ca śataṁ sāgraṁ trisāhasrāḥ padātayaḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: “Ó Janārdana, dos carros restam apenas duzentos; dos elefantes resta pouco mais de cem; e os soldados de infantaria são três mil.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse offers a stark, factual tally of surviving forces, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s ethical subtext: war rapidly reduces power, pride, and choices, and the consequences of adharma-driven hostility become unavoidable as resources and lives are exhausted.
Sañjaya reports to the addressed listener (here invoking Kṛṣṇa as Janārdana) the remaining numbers of chariots, elephants, and infantry—an update on the battlefield situation as the conflict nears its grim culmination.