Mahabharata · 2.5.53–54
॥
Devanāgarī
कच्चिद् अष्टाङ्गसंयुक्ता चतुर्विधबला चमूः ॥
बलमुख्यैः सुनीता ते द्विषतां प्रतिबाधनी ॥
कच्चिल् लवं च मुष्टिं च परराष्ट्रे परंतप ॥
अविहाय महाराज विहंसि समरे रिपून् ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
kaccid aṣṭāṅgasaṃyuktā caturvidhabalā camūḥ ||
balamukhyaiḥ sunītā te dviṣatāṃ pratibādhanī ||
kaccil lavaṃ ca muṣṭiṃ ca pararāṣṭre paraṃtapa ||
avihāya mahārāja vihaṃsi samare ripūn ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कच्चित् अष्ट-अङ्ग-संयुक्ता चतुर्-विध-बला चमूःkaccit aṣṭa-aṅga-saṃyuktā catur-vidha-balā camūḥI hope your army, equipped with eight components, of four kinds of forces,
बल-मुख्यैः सु-नीता ते द्विषताम् प्रतिबाधनीbala-mukhyaiḥ su-nītā te dviṣatām pratibādhanīwell led by its commanders, repels its foes;
कच्चित् लवम् च मुष्टिम् च पर-राष्ट्रे परंतपkaccit lavam ca muṣṭim ca para-rāṣṭre paraṃtapaI hope that, whether small -- "a handful" -- or large, in the enemy's kingdom, o destroyer of foes,
अविहाय महा-राज विहंसि समरे रिपून्avihāya mahā-rāja vihaṃsi samare ripūnnot overlooking any, o great king, you strike down foes in battle?
कच्चिद्kaccidoriginal form "kaccid", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अष्टाङ्गसंयुक्ताaṣṭāṅgasaṃyuktāoriginal form "aṣṭāṅgasaṃyuktā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चतुर्विधबलाcaturvidhabalāoriginal form "caturvidhabalā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बलमुख्यैःbalamukhyaiḥoriginal form "balamukhyaiḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुनीताsunītāoriginal form "sunītā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
द्विषतांdviṣatāṃoriginal form "dviṣatāṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कच्चिल्kacciloriginal form "kaccil", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लवंlavaṃoriginal form "lavaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मुष्टिंmuṣṭiṃoriginal form "muṣṭiṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
परराष्ट्रेpararāṣṭreoriginal form "pararāṣṭre", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महाराजmahārājaoriginal form "mahārāja", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
I hope your army, equipped with its eight components and its four kinds of forces, well led by its commanders, repels its foes? I hope that, overlooking neither the small nor the great in the enemy's kingdom, o great king, you strike down foes in battle, o destroyer of enemies?
Version
8c06336777cf · published Jul 16, 2026, 2:43:40 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here strength lies in organization and completeness, not in valor alone. It is telling that the army must be "well led": even four kinds of forces and eight components are useless without good guidance. Thus scripture shows order and leadership as the foundation of military power; what follows concerns governance and the safeguarding of possessions.