SB 9.15.30 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अचोदयद्धस्तिरथाश्वपत्तिभि- र्गदासिबाणर्ष्टिशतघ्निशक्तिभि: । अक्षौहिणी: सप्तदशातिभीषणा- स्ता राम एको भगवानसूदयत् ॥ ३० ॥

Verse text

acodayad dhasti-rathāśva-pattibhir gadāsi-bāṇarṣṭi-śataghni-śaktibhiḥ akṣauhiṇīḥ sapta-daśātibhīṣaṇās tā rāma eko bhagavān asūdayat

Synonyms

acodayat — he sent for fighting ; hasti — with elephants ; ratha — with chariots ; aśva — with horses ; pattibhiḥ — and with infantry ; gadā — with clubs ; asi — with swords ; bāṇa — with arrows ; ṛṣṭi — with the weapons called ṛṣṭis ; śataghni — with weapons called śataghnis ; śaktibhiḥ — with weapons called śaktis ; akṣauhiṇīḥ — whole groups of akṣauhiṇīs ; sapta-daśa — seventeen ; ati-bhīṣaṇāḥ — very fierce ; tāḥ — all of them ; rāmaḥ — Lord Paraśurāma ; ekaḥ — alone ; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; asūdayat — killed.

Translation

Upon seeing Paraśurāma, Kārtavīryārjuna immediately feared him and sent many elephants, chariots, horses and infantry soldiers equipped with clubs, swords, arrows, ṛṣṭis, śataghnis, śaktis, and many similar weapons to fight against him. Kārtavīryārjuna sent seventeen full akṣauhiṇīs of soldiers to check Paraśurāma. But Lord Paraśurāma alone killed all of them.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Kārtavīryārjuna sent seventeen fearful akṣauhiṇīs of soldiers, along with elephants, chariots, horses and infantry soldiers equipped with clubs, swords, arrows, spears, studded clubs, lances. But Paraśurāma alone killed all of them. He sent fearful akṣauhinīs along with elephants and various weapons.

Purport

The word akṣauhiṇī refers to a military phalanx consisting of 21,870 chariots and elephants, 109,350 infantry soldiers and 65,610 horses. An exact description is given in the Mahābhārata, Ādi parva, Second Chapter, as follows: eko ratho gajaś caikaḥ narāḥ paṣca padātayaḥ trayaś ca turagās taj-jṣaiḥ pattir ity abhidhīyate pattiṁ tu triguṇām etāṁ viduḥ senāmukhaṁ budhāḥ trīṇi senāmukhāny eko gulma ity adhidhīyate trayo gulmā gaṇo nāma vāhinī tu gaṇās trayaḥ śrutās tisras tu vāhinyaḥ pṛtaneti vicakṣaṇaiḥ camūs tu pṛtanās tisraś caṁvas tisras tv anīkinī anīkinīṁ daśa-guṇām āhur akṣauhiṇīṁ budhāḥ akṣauhiṇyas tu saṅkhyātā rathānāṁ dvija-sattamāḥ saṅkhyā-gaṇita-tattvajṣaiḥ sahasrāṇy eka-viṁśati śatāny upari cāṣṭau ca bhūyas tathā ca saptatiḥ gajānāṁ tu parīmāṇaṁ tāvad evātra nirdiśet jṣeyaṁ śata-sahasraṁ tu sahasrāṇi tathā nava narāṇām adhi paṣcāśac chatāni trīṇi cānaghāḥ paṣca-ṣaṣṭi-sahasrāṇi tathāśvānāṁ śatāni ca daśottarāṇi ṣaṭ cāhur yathāvad abhisaṅkhyayā etām akṣauhiṇīṁ prāhuḥ saṅkhyā-tattva-vido janāḥ “One chariot, one elephant, five infantry soldiers and three horses are called a patti by those who are learned in the science. The wise also know that a senāmukha is three times what a patti is. Three senāmukhas are known as one gulma, three gulmas are called a gaṇa, and three gaṇas are called a vāhinī. Three vāhinīs have been referred to by the learned as a pṛtanā, three pṛtanās equal one camū, and three camūs equal one anīkinī. The wise refer to ten anīkinīs as one akṣauhiṇī. The chariots of an akṣauhiṇī have been calculated at 21,870 by those who know the science of such calculations, O best of the twice-born, and the number of elephants is the same. The number of infantry soldiers is 109,350, and the number of horses is 65,610. This is called an akṣauhiṇī. ”