Shloka 16

Devanagari script

साग्रं शतसहस््रं तु नागानां तव भारत । नागे नागे रथशतं शतमश्चा रथे रथे,भारत! आपकी सेनामें एक लाखसे अधिक हाथी थे। एक-एक हाथीके साथ सौ-सौ रथ थे और एक-एक रथके साथ सौ-सौ घोड़े थे

Transliteration

sāgraṁ śatasahasraṁ tu nāgānāṁ tava bhārata | nāge nāge rathaśataṁ śatamaś ca rathe rathe ||

Translation

Санджая сказал: «О Бхарата, в твоём войске было чуть более ста тысяч слонов. При каждом слоне — по сто колесниц, и при каждой колеснице — по сто коней».

Word by Word

साग्रम्with an excess; more than (by a fraction)

शतसहस्रम्a hundred thousand (one lakh)

तुbut/indeed

नागानाम्of elephants

तवof you/your

भारतO Bharata

नागेon/with (each) elephant

रथशतम्a hundred chariots

शतम्a hundred

अश्वाःhorses

रथेon/with (each) chariot

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra as addressee)

nāga (elephants)

ratha (chariots)

aśva (horses)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the vastness of material and military power, implicitly setting the stage for the Mahābhārata’s ethical inquiry: even overwhelming force does not guarantee righteousness or victory when dharma is compromised.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra (addressed as Bhārata) the scale and structure of his forces, enumerating elephants and their associated chariots and horses as part of the broader description of the armies assembled for battle.