Mahabharata · 1.2.21–22
॥
Devanāgarī
ज्ञेयं शतसहस्रं तु सहस्राणि तथा नव ।
नराणाम् अपि पञ्चाशच् छतानि त्रीणि चानघाः ॥
पञ्चषष्टिसहस्राणि तथाश्वानां शतानि च ।
दशोत्तराणि षट् प्राहुर् यथावद् इह संख्यया ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
jñeyaṃ śatasahasraṃ tu sahasrāṇi tathā nava |
narāṇām api pañcāśac chatāni trīṇi cānaghāḥ ||
pañcaṣaṣṭisahasrāṇi tathāśvānāṃ śatāni ca |
daśottarāṇi ṣaṭ prāhur yathāvad iha saṃkhyayā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ज्ञेयम्jñeyamshould be known
शतसहस्रम्śata-sahasrama hundred thousand
तुtuand
सहस्राणि नवsahasrāṇi navanine thousand
नराणाम्narāṇāmof foot-soldiers
अपिapialso
पञ्चाशत् शतानि त्रीणिpañcāśat śatāni trīṇithree hundred fifty (three hundreds and fifty)
चcaand
अनघाःanaghāḥO sinless ones
पञ्चषष्टिसहस्राणिpañca-ṣaṣṭi-sahasrāṇisixty-five thousand
तथा अश्वानाम्tathā aśvānāmand of horses
शतानि चśatāni caand hundreds
दशोत्तराणि षट्daśa-uttarāṇi ṣaṭsix with ten more (six hundred ten)
प्राहुःprāhuḥthey declare
यथावत्yathāvatexactly
इहihahere
संख्ययाsaṃkhyayāby count
ज्ञेयंjñeyaṃbase form "jñeyaṃ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
शतसहस्रंśatasahasraṃbase form "śatasahasraṃ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
पञ्चाशच्pañcāśacbase form "pañcāśac", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
छतानिchatānibase form "chatāni", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
चानघाःcānaghāḥbase form "cānaghāḥ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
पञ्चषष्टिसहस्राणिpañcaṣaṣṭisahasrāṇibase form "pañcaṣaṣṭisahasrāṇi", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
तथाश्वानांtathāśvānāṃbase form "tathāśvānāṃ", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
दशोत्तराणिdaśottarāṇibase form "daśottarāṇi", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
प्राहुर्prāhurbase form "prāhur", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
यथावद्yathāvadbase form "yathāvad", added to fully cover the word-by-word block
Translation
Foot-soldiers, O sinless ones, should be known to number one hundred nine thousand three hundred fifty (109,350); and horses, by exact count, are here said to number sixty-five thousand six hundred ten (65,610).
Version
4d1575f812f1 · published Jul 12, 2026, 2:16:08 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The reckoning is completed: in one akshauhini there are 109,350 foot-soldiers and 65,610 horses (together with the previously stated 21,870 chariots and elephants). The precision of these numbers shows the strict order of Vedic military science. But behind the dry figures stands what matters most: multiplying all this by the eighteen akshauhinis of Kurukshetra, one sees the truly immense force gathered on the field -- that very burden for the lifting of which the Lord descends. Thus even the counting of armies serves the design of the Supreme.