Shloka 29
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
समेतास्तत्र वै देशे तत्रैव निधनं गता: । कौरवान् कारण कृत्वा कालेनाद्भधुतकर्मणा,अदभुत कर्म करनेवाले कालकी प्रेरणासे समन्तपंचकक्षेत्रमें कौरवोंको निमित्त बनाकर इतनी सेनाएँ इकट्टी हुईं और वहीं नाशको प्राप्त हो गयीं
sametās tatra vai deśe tatraiva nidhanaṃ gatāḥ | kauravān kāraṇaṃ kṛtvā kālenādbhuta-karmaṇā ||
সেই দেশেই তারা সমবেত হয়েছিল, আর সেই স্থানেই তারা বিনাশপ্রাপ্ত হয়। কৌরবদের নিমিত্ত করে, অদ্ভুত কর্মশীল ও অপ্রতিরোধ্য কাল-এর প্রেরণায় সমন্তপঞ্চকে এত বিশাল সেনা জড়ো হয়েছিল এবং সেখানেই ধ্বংস হল।
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a Mahābhārata theme: human groups may appear to act from immediate causes (here, the Kauravas as the occasion), yet the larger unfolding is governed by Kāla—Time as an overpowering cosmic-moral force—so that mass violence culminates in inevitable ruin.
It states that many forces/armies gathered in a particular region (associated with Samantapañcaka) and were destroyed there; the Kauravas are presented as the proximate trigger, while Kāla is presented as the deeper driver behind the convergence and annihilation.