Shloka 8
Chapter 26: Śoka-pratiṣedha, Hata-saṅkhyā, Gati-vibhāga, Pretakārya-ājñā
Restraint of Grief, Count of the Slain, Destinies, and Funerary Directives
जीवतां परिमाणज्ञ: सैन्यानामसि पाण्डव | हतानां यदि जानीषे परिमाणं वदस्व मे,'पाण्डुनन्दन! तुम जीवित सैनिकोंकी संख्याके जानकार तो हो ही। यदि मरे हुओंकी संख्या जानते हो तो मुझे बताओ
jīvatāṃ parimāṇajñaḥ sainyānām asi pāṇḍava | hatānāṃ yadi jānīṣe parimāṇaṃ vadasva me ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Hỡi Pāṇḍava, ngươi là người biết rõ số quân còn sống. Nếu ngươi cũng biết số kẻ đã bị giết, hãy nói cho ta con số ấy.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral reckoning after violence: beyond victory, one must face the human cost. Asking for the number of the slain frames war as accountable loss, not merely strategic gain.
In the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, Vaiśampāyana addresses a Pāṇḍava, noting his knowledge of surviving troops and requesting the count of those killed, emphasizing the scale of destruction.