Shloka 15
उलूकदूतवाक्यम् / Ulūka’s Message to the Pāṇḍavas
Devanagari script
सैन्येन महा तेन प्रभूतगजवाजिना
Transliteration
sainyena mahā tena prabhūtagajavājinā
Translation
毗湿摩波衍那说：凭借那支浩瀚大军——象马充盈——行军与备战被描绘成一场压倒性的武力展示，预示着正当之责与战争毁灭性势头之间的伦理张力。
Word by Word
सैन्येनby/with the army
सैन्येन:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootसैन्य
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
महाgreat
महा:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootमहत्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
तेनby/with that
तेन:
Karana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
प्रभूतगजवाजिनाwith abundant elephants and horses
प्रभूतगजवाजिना:
Karana
TypeAdjective
Rootप्रभूतगजवाजिन्
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Singular
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
A
Army (sainya)E
Elephants (gaja)H
Horses (vājin)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The line highlights how sheer military abundance—elephants and cavalry—can drive events toward war, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical concern: power and preparedness must be governed by dharma, or they become instruments of ruin.
Vaiśampāyana describes the presence or movement of a massive, well-equipped force, emphasizing its scale and resources (especially elephants and horses), as the story advances toward open conflict.