Shloka 35

भीष्म–रामजामदग्न्ययुद्धप्रस्थानवर्णनम्

Bhishma’s Account of Parashurama’s Challenge and the March to Kurukshetra

Devanagari script

तदा शतसहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च

Transliteration

tadā śatasahasrāṇi prayutāny arbudāni ca

Translation

于是，在那情势之中，数目攀至浩瀚之境——数十万、数万，乃至以“俱胝”（crore）计——显示其规模远超寻常可数；毗湿摩借此强调所述之事的压倒性广大。

Word by Word

• तदा: then, at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (तदा-प्रयोगः)
• Form: true

• शतसहस्राणि: hundreds of thousands
• शतसहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शतसहस्र (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• प्रयुतानि: ten-thousands (myriads)
• प्रयुतानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयुत (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• अर्बुदानि: arbuda-units (a very large number; traditionally 10^7)
• अर्बुदानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्बुद (प्रातिपदिकम्)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: true

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how quickly human affairs—especially political and military preparations—can expand beyond ordinary limits; it cautions the listener to recognize the true magnitude of consequences when numbers and resources escalate.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is describing something in terms of enormous quantities, using traditional large-number units (śata-sahasra, prayuta, arbuda) to convey an overwhelming scale within the Udyoga Parva’s context of major preparations and mobilization.