Mahabharata · 7.19.7–8
॥
Devanāgarī
कलिङ्गाः सिंहलाः प्राच्याः शूराभीरा दशेरकाः ॥
शका यवनकाम्बोजास् तथा हंसपदाश् च ये ॥
ग्रीवायां शूरसेनाश् च दरदा मद्रकेकयाः ॥
गजाश्वरथपत्त्यौघास् तस्थुः शतसहस्रशः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
kaliṅgāḥ siṃhalāḥ prācyāḥ śūrābhīrā daśerakāḥ ||
śakā yavanakāmbojās tathā haṃsapadāś ca ye ||
grīvāyāṃ śūrasenāś ca daradā madrakekayāḥ ||
gajāśvarathapattyaughās tasthuḥ śatasahasraśaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कलिङ्गाःkaliṅgāḥKalingas; [the people of] the Kalingas
सिंहलाःsiṃhalāḥSimhalas [Sinhalas]; of the Simhalas
प्राच्याःprācyāḥeasterners [people of the east]; of the eastern [tribes]
शूराभीराःśūrābhīrāḥShuras and Abhiras; of the Shuras and Abhiras
दशेरकाःdaśerakāḥDasherakas
शकाःśakāḥShakas [Scythians]; of the Shakas
यवनकाम्बोजाःyavanakāmbojāḥYavanas and Kambojas; of the Yavanas and Kambojas
तथाtathāand also; likewise
हंसपदाःhaṃsapadāḥHansapadas
चcaand; —
येyewho [that were]; [those] that were
ग्रीवायाम्grīvāyāmat the neck; [at] the nape [of the formation]
शूरसेनाःśūrasenāḥShurasenas
चcaand; also
दरदाःdaradāḥDaradas
मद्रकेकयाःmadrakekayāḥMadras and Kekayas
गजाश्वरथपत्त्यौघाःgajāśvarathapattyaughāḥhosts of elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry; streams of elephants, horses, chariots, and foot
तस्थुःtasthuḥstood [took their place]; stood
शतसहस्रशःśatasahasraśaḥby the hundreds of thousands; [uncounted,] by the hundreds of thousands
Translation
Kalingas, Simhalas, easterners, Shuras and Abhiras, Dasherakas, Shakas, Yavanas and Kambojas, and likewise Hansapadas — who were there [at the array]; and at the nape of the formation — Shurasenas, Daradas, Madras and Kekayas: streams of elephants, horses, chariots, and foot stood there by the hundreds of thousands.
Version
f8e518086cfc · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:00:04 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The roll of peoples from every corner of the earth — from the Simhalas in the south to the Shakas and Yavanas in the northwest — shows how vast the host that rose for an unjust cause. Numbers and variety are no proof of righteousness: countless tribes gathered behind Duryodhana, and still their army is doomed. It is telling that the tradition carefully names each people by name — even those going to their death deserve to be remembered, and in this remembrance there is a kind of honor to the fallen. The verse teaches that the number of allies is no measure of a cause's rightness; that whole peoples may gather under one banner and still serve wrong; and that the magnitude of the coming sacrifice is measured also by how many will lay down their heads for another's sin.