Shloka 4
Bhīṣma’s Admonition; Duryodhana’s Rājasūya Aspiration and the Proposal of a Vaiṣṇava-satra
ददर्श स तदा गाव: शतशो5थ सहस््रश: । अड्कैरल॑क्षैश्ष ता: सर्वा लक्षयामास पार्थिव:,(रहनेकी व्यवस्था ठीक हो जानेपर) राजा दुर्योधनने अपनी सैकड़ों एवं हजारों गौओंका निरीक्षण करना आरम्भ किया। उन सबपर संख्या और निशानी डलवा दी
dadārśa sa tadā gāvaḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | aṅkair alakṣyaiś ca tāḥ sarvā lakṣayāmāsa pārthivaḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：当时国王看见自己的牛群，成百上千。于是他命人将所有牛都加以标记——以编号与识别记号——使之可辨认、可清点、可入册。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how rulers treat wealth as something to be controlled, counted, and claimed. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such possessiveness and pride in material assets often become seeds of adharma, intensifying rivalry and leading to harm.
The king sees vast herds of cows and begins systematically identifying them by numbering and marking. This is part of the episode where Duryodhana’s attention to his resources and status stands in contrast to the Pāṇḍavas’ hardship in exile, sharpening his antagonism.