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Mahabharata · 1.2.19–20
॥
Сути (Уграшравас)
Devanāgarī
अक्षौहिण्याः प्रसंख्यानं रथानां द्विजसत्तमाः ।
संख्यागणिततत्त्वज्ञैः सहस्राण्य् एकविंशतिः ॥
शतान्य् उपरि चैवाष्टौ तथा भूयश् च सप्ततिः ।
गजानां तु परीमाणम् एतद् एवात्र निर्दिशेत् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
akṣauhiṇyāḥ prasaṃkhyānaṃ rathānāṃ dvijasattamāḥ |
saṃkhyāgaṇitatattvajñaiḥ sahasrāṇy ekaviṃśatiḥ ||
śatāny upari caivāṣṭau tathā bhūyaś ca saptatiḥ |
gajānāṃ tu parīmāṇam etad evātra nirdiśet ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अक्षौहिण्याःakṣauhiṇyāḥof an akshauhini
प्रसंख्यानम्prasaṃkhyānamthe reckoning; the sum
रथानाम्rathānāmof chariots
द्विजसत्तमाःdvija-sattamāḥO most worthy among the twice-born
संख्यागणिततत्त्वज्ञैःsaṃkhyā-gaṇita-tattva-jñaiḥby those versed in the art of reckoning
सहस्राणि एकविंशतिःsahasrāṇi ekaviṃśatiḥtwenty-one thousand
शतानि अष्टौśatāni aṣṭaueight hundred
उपरि च एवupari ca evabesides that
तथा भूयः च सप्ततिःtathā bhūyaḥ ca saptatiḥand seventy more
गजानाम्gajānāmof elephants
तुtuand
परीमाणम्parīmāṇamthe number
एतत् एवetat evaexactly the same
अत्रatrahere
निर्दिशेत्nirdiśetshould be stated
प्रसंख्यानंprasaṃkhyānaṃbase form "prasaṃkhyānaṃ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
रथानांrathānāṃbase form "rathānāṃ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
द्विजसत्तमाःdvijasattamāḥbase form "dvijasattamāḥ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
संख्यागणिततत्त्वज्ञैःsaṃkhyāgaṇitatattvajñaiḥbase form "saṃkhyāgaṇitatattvajñaiḥ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
सहस्राण्य्sahasrāṇybase form "sahasrāṇy", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
शतान्य्śatānybase form "śatāny", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
चैवाष्टौcaivāṣṭaubase form "caivāṣṭau", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
भूयश्bhūyaśbase form "bhūyaś", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
गजानांgajānāṃbase form "gajānāṃ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
एतद्etadbase form "etad", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
एवात्रevātrabase form "evātra", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
Translation
The reckoning of chariots in an akshauhini, O most worthy among the twice-born, according to those versed in the art of counting, is twenty-one thousand, eight hundred besides, and seventy more (21,870); and the number of elephants here should be stated as exactly the same.
Version
bb8c3ed0851e · published Jul 12, 2026, 2:16:08 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The total of the reckoning: in one akshauhini there are 21,870 chariots and just as many elephants (and, as will be said further on, many times more horses and foot-soldiers). If one recalls that eighteen such akshauhinis met at Kurukshetra, the truly colossal scale of the battle is revealed -- and the immensity of that burden of unrighteous force which weighed upon the earth. The precision of these numbers underscores not military pride but the grandeur of the ordained cleansing: the Lord descends to lift this burden. Thus even dry statistics of armies, in the epic, lead the mind toward the design of the Supreme.