Mahabharata · 1.2.9–10
॥
Devanāgarī
अन्तरे चैव संप्राप्ते कलिद्वापरयोर् अभूत् ।
समन्तपञ्चके युद्धं कुरुपाण्डवसेनयोः ॥
तस्मिन् परमधर्मिष्ठे देशे भूदोषवर्जिते ।
अष्टादश समाजग्मुर् अक्षौहिण्यो युयुत्सया ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
antare caiva saṃprāpte kalidvāparayor abhūt |
samantapañcake yuddhaṃ kurupāṇḍavasenayoḥ ||
tasmin paramadharmiṣṭhe deśe bhūdoṣavarjite |
aṣṭādaśa samājagmur akṣauhiṇyo yuyutsayā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अन्तरे संप्राप्तेantare saṃprāptewhen the junction (period) arrived
कलिद्वापरयोःkali-dvāparayoḥof the Kali and Dvapara ages
अभूत्abhūtoccurred; took place
समन्तपञ्चकेsamantapañcakein Samantapanchaka
युद्धम्yuddhambattle
कुरुपाण्डवसेनयोःkuru-pāṇḍava-senayoḥof the armies of the Kurus and the Pandavas
तस्मिन् देशेtasmin deśein that region
परमधर्मिष्ठेparama-dharmiṣṭhemost supremely righteous
भूदोषवर्जितेbhū-doṣa-varjitefree from any fault of ground (faultless)
अष्टादशaṣṭādaśaeighteen
समाजग्मुःsamājagmuḥgathered; assembled
अक्षौहिण्यःakṣauhiṇyaḥakshauhinis (army divisions)
युयुत्सयाyuyutsayādesiring to fight
चैवcaivabase form "caiva", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
कलिद्वापरयोर्kalidvāparayorbase form "kalidvāparayor", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
युद्धंyuddhaṃbase form "yuddhaṃ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
कुरुपाण्डवसेनयोःkurupāṇḍavasenayoḥbase form "kurupāṇḍavasenayoḥ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
परमधर्मिष्ठेparamadharmiṣṭhebase form "paramadharmiṣṭhe", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
भूदोषवर्जितेbhūdoṣavarjitebase form "bhūdoṣavarjite", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
समाजग्मुर्samājagmurbase form "samājagmur", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
अक्षौहिण्योakṣauhiṇyobase form "akṣauhiṇyo", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
Translation
When the junction of the Kali and Dvapara ages arrived, in Samantapanchaka there took place the battle of the armies of the Kurus and the Pandavas. In that most righteous, faultless land, eighteen akshauhinis gathered, eager for battle.
Version
2959979003fb · published Jul 12, 2026, 2:16:08 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
At the junction of the two ages, on this holy ground, eighteen akshauhinis met in battle -- the armies of the Kurus and the Pandavas. It is telling that the place is called "most righteous" (parama-dharmishtha) and "faultless": this is Kurukshetra, the field of dharma. It is here that the Lord Krishna Himself, becoming Arjuna's charioteer, will reveal the Bhagavad-gita and lift the burden of the earth, as Parashurama once did. Thus the holy land becomes the stage for the highest manifestation of the Lord's will -- not merely a field of war, but a place where the divine teaching resounds and the triumph of dharma is accomplished.