Shloka 18

Adhyāya 17 — Gandhārī’s Vilāpa at Duryodhana’s Body (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १७)

Devanagari script

अक्षौहिणीर्महाबाहुर्दश चैकां च केशव । आनयद्‌ यः पुरा संख्ये सो5नयान्निधनं गत:,“केशव! जिस महाबाहु वीरने पहले ग्यारह अक्षौहिणी सेनाओंको जुटा लिया था, वही अपनी अनीतिके कारण युद्धमें मार डाला गया

Transliteration

akṣauhīṇīr mahābāhur daśa caikāṁ ca keśava | ānayat yaḥ purā saṅkhye so 'nayān nidhanaṁ gataḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O Keśava, jener mächtigarmige Krieger, der einst nach der Kriegsrechnung elf Akṣauhiṇīs an Truppen zusammenbrachte, hat nun wegen unrechtmäßigen Handelns sein Verderben gefunden.“

Word by Word

• अक्षौहिणीः: armies (akṣauhiṇīs)
• अक्षौहिणीः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षौहिणी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• महाबाहुः: the mighty-armed (hero)
• महाबाहुः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबाहु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• दश: ten
• दश: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दश
• Form: Indeclinable/Number, Accusative (counting), Plural (value)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एकाम्: one (more)
• एकाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• केशव: O Keśava
• Type: Noun
• Root: केशव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• आनयत्: brought / assembled
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (आ + नी)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पुरा: formerly / earlier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• संख्ये: in battle
• संख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संख्या
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अनयात्: from unrighteous conduct / misconduct
• अनयात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-नय
• Form: Feminine, Ablative, Singular

• निधनम्: death / destruction
• निधनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• गतः: gone (to) / met (with)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (गत)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Keśava (Kṛṣṇa)
• akṣauhiṇī (army unit)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Power and military might—even the ability to muster vast armies—cannot protect one who acts through anaya (unrighteous, unethical means); adharma leads to ruin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses Kṛṣṇa (Keśava), pointing to a warrior famed for assembling eleven akṣauhiṇīs, and states that he has been slain/ruined because of his unethical conduct—an interpretive moral reflection on the war’s outcome.