Mahabharata · 1.2.24–25
॥
Devanāgarī
एतया संख्यया ह्य् आसन् कुरुपाण्डवसेनयोः ।
अक्षौहिण्यो द्विजश्रेष्ठाः पिण्डेनाष्टादशैव ताः ॥
समेतास् तत्र वै देशे तत्रैव निधनं गताः ।
कौरवान् कारणं कृत्वा कालेनाद्भुतकर्मणा ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
etayā saṃkhyayā hy āsan kurupāṇḍavasenayoḥ |
akṣauhiṇyo dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ piṇḍenāṣṭādaśaiva tāḥ ||
sametās tatra vai deśe tatraiva nidhanaṃ gatāḥ |
kauravān kāraṇaṃ kṛtvā kālenādbhutakarmaṇā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
एतया संख्ययाetayā saṃkhyayāby this count
हिhiindeed
आसन्āsanwere
कुरुपाण्डवसेनयोःkuru-pāṇḍava-senayoḥof the armies of the Kurus and Pandavas
अक्षौहिण्यःakṣauhiṇyaḥakshauhinis
द्विजश्रेष्ठाःdvija-śreṣṭhāḥO best of the twice-born
पिण्डेनpiṇḍenaall together; combined
अष्टादश एव ताःaṣṭādaśa eva tāḥexactly eighteen of them
समेताःsametāḥhaving gathered; having assembled
तत्र वै देशेtatra vai deśein that very land
तत्र एवtatra evathere itself
निधनम् गताःnidhanaṃ gatāḥmet their death; were destroyed
कौरवान्kauravānthe Kauravas
कारणम् कृत्वाkāraṇaṃ kṛtvāhaving made [them] the cause/instrument
कालेनkālenaby Time
अद्भुतकर्मणाadbhuta-karmaṇāwho accomplishes wondrous deeds
ह्य्hyoriginal form 'hy', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
कुरुपाण्डवसेनयोःkurupāṇḍavasenayoḥoriginal form 'kurupāṇḍavasenayoḥ', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
अक्षौहिण्योakṣauhiṇyooriginal form 'akṣauhiṇyo', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
द्विजश्रेष्ठाःdvijaśreṣṭhāḥoriginal form 'dvijaśreṣṭhāḥ', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
पिण्डेनाष्टादशैवpiṇḍenāṣṭādaśaivaoriginal form 'piṇḍenāṣṭādaśaiva', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
समेतास्sametāsoriginal form 'sametās', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
तत्रैवtatraivaoriginal form 'tatraiva', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
कालेनाद्भुतकर्मणाkālenādbhutakarmaṇāoriginal form 'kālenādbhutakarmaṇā', added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
Translation
By this reckoning, O best of the twice-born, the armies of the Kurus and Pandavas numbered eighteen akshauhinis in all. Having gathered in that very land, there they were also destroyed — by Time, the doer of wondrous deeds, who made the Kauravas the occasion for it.
Version
d05e7fdcb015 · published Jul 12, 2026, 2:16:08 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Eighteen akshauhinis gathered on Kurukshetra and were destroyed there. The decisive words are 'by Time, the doer of wondrous deeds, who made the Kauravas the occasion' (kālena adbhuta-karmaṇā... kauravān kāraṇaṃ kṛtvā). The true agent of this destruction is Time, and the Kauravas are merely its occasion, its instrument. And Time, as stated in the first chapter, is the energy of the Lord Himself — indeed, He Himself in the form of Time (Gita 11.32: 'I am Time, the destroyer of worlds'). So the true doer is the Supreme, lifting the burden of the earth; the lawlessness of the Kauravas became only the occasion through which His will was fulfilled. Thus behind the vast catastrophe of the war is revealed not blind fate, but the design of the Lord.