SB 9.15.30
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 30
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.
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, Adi parva, Second Chapter, as follows:
- eko ratho gajaś caikaḥ
- narāḥ pañca padātayaḥ
- trayaś ca turagās taj-jñaiḥ
- 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-tattvajñaiḥ
- sahasrāṇy eka-viṁśati
- śatāny upari cāṣṭau ca
- bhūyas tathā ca saptatiḥ
- gajānāṁ tu parīmāṇaṁ
- tāvad evātra nirdiśet
- jñeyaṁ śata-sahasraṁ tu
- sahasrāṇi tathā nava
- narāṇām adhi pañcāśac
- chatāni trīṇi cānaghāḥ
- pañca-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."