Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 31
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
अनीकं दशसाहस्रमश्चानां भरतर्षभ । आसीद् गान्धारराजस्य विशालप्रासयोधिनाम्
anīkaṁ daśasāhasram aśvānāṁ bharatarṣabha | āsīd gāndhārarājasya viśālaprāsayodhinām ||
三阇耶说道：“噢，婆罗多族中的雄牛啊，健陀罗王拥有一支一万名骑兵的军势——皆为执持又长又巨之枪的战士。率此部众，他在那屠戮众生的战斗中转向般度子军的后阵，众人合力以锐利之箭猛击那支军队。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war magnifies strategic calculation and mass violence: large formations and specialized weapons are deployed to exploit vulnerabilities (such as the rear of an army). Ethically, it highlights the tension between kṣatriya warfare and destructive, opportunistic tactics that intensify slaughter.
Sañjaya reports that Śakuni, the king of Gandhāra, possesses a ten-thousand-strong cavalry unit equipped with large lances. He takes this force and moves toward the rear of the Pāṇḍava formation, where they collectively assail the troops with sharp arrows.