Shloka 7

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)

Devanagari script

रथैरनेकसाहस्रै: कलिड्रानां नराधिप । अयुतेन गजानां च निषादै: सह केतुमान्‌

Transliteration

rathair aneka-sāhasraiḥ kaliṅgānāṁ narādhipa | ayutena gajānāṁ ca niṣādaiḥ saha ketumān ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: “Tâu Đại vương, Ketumān tiến lên với hàng ngàn cỗ chiến xa của người Kaliṅga, lại có cả mười ngàn voi chiến, cùng đoàn Niṣāda hộ tống.”

Word by Word

रथैःwith chariots

अनेकसाहस्रैःwith many thousands (of)

कलिड्राणाम्of the Kalidras (a people/tribe)

नराधिपO king (lord of men)

अयुतेनwith ten thousand

गजानाम्of elephants

चand

निषादैःwith Niṣādas (a people/tribe)

सहtogether with

केतुमान्Ketumān (the bannered one; proper name)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Narādhipa (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Ketumān

Kaliṅgas

Niṣādas

Chariots

Elephants

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 underscores the epic’s ethical backdrop of war: rulers marshal vast, diverse forces through alliances, highlighting how political power and collective choices amplify the scale and consequences of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Ketumān is advancing as part of the war host, bringing many thousands of Kaliṅga chariots and a contingent of ten thousand elephants, along with Niṣāda fighters.