Shloka 21
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
Devanagari script
ततो रथसहस्रेण नागानामयुतेन च
Transliteration
tato rathasahasreṇa nāgānām ayutena ca
Translation
ततो रथसहस्रेण नागानामयुतेन च । सेनाऽभ्यवर्तत तत्रैव कुरुक्षेत्रे महाबला ॥
Word by Word
ततःthen; thereafter; from there
ततः:
Apadana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (तद्-प्रातिपदिकात् अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (पञ्चमी-अर्थे: 'from/thereafter')
रथसहस्रेणwith a thousand chariots
रथसहस्रेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootरथसहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन
नागानाम्of elephants
नागानाम्:
Sambandha
TypeNoun
Rootनाग (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन
अयुतेनwith ten thousand
अयुतेन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootअयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय (समुच्चयार्थक)
Speaker
सयजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
R
ratha (chariots)N
nāga (war-elephants)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immense material force deployed in war, implicitly contrasting external might (numbers, weapons, elephants) with the deeper ethical burden of violence and the responsibility of leaders who choose escalation.
Sañjaya describes a movement or advance of forces characterized by vast numbers—one thousand chariots and ten thousand elephants—signaling a major military mobilization within the Drona Parva battle sequence.