Shloka 20
सेनासमागमः — The Convergence of Armies
Devanagari script
तेषामक्षौहिणी सेना बहुला विबभौ तदा
Transliteration
teṣām akṣauhiṇī senā bahulā vibabhau tadā
Translation
তখন তাদের অক্ষৌহিণী-পরিমিত সেনা বিপুল ও ভয়ংকর রূপে প্রকাশ পেল—যুদ্ধের দিকে ধাবমান স্রোত এবং তার গুরুতর ধর্মভারকে ইঙ্গিত করে।
Word by Word
तेषाम्of them
तेषाम्:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
Formmasculine/neuter, genitive, plural
अक्षौहिणीconsisting of an akṣauhiṇī (a full army-division)
अक्षौहिणी:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअक्षौहिणी
Formfeminine, nominative, singular
सेनाarmy
सेना:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसेना
Formfeminine, nominative, singular
बहुलाgreat, abundant, numerous
बहुला:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootबहुल
Formfeminine, nominative, singular
विबभौshone forth, appeared splendid
विबभौ:
TypeVerb
Rootभा
Formperfect (liṭ), 3rd, singular
तदाthen, at that time
तदा:
Adhikarana
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतदा
Speaker
वैशमग्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
A
akṣauhiṇī (army division)S
senā (army)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how the sheer magnitude of armed power can become a visible sign of impending adharma-driven escalation: when forces gather in overwhelming numbers, the ethical stakes intensify, and the responsibility to seek peace and restraint becomes even more urgent.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes the assembled forces as an akṣauhiṇī-based host that looks immense and formidable at that moment, emphasizing the scale of mobilization as the story moves toward open conflict.