Shloka 256
Bhīṣma-parva Adhyāya 16 — Saṃjaya’s Boon, Bhīṣma’s Protection, and the Dawn Arraying of Armies
पाण्डवानां तथा सप्त महापुरुषपालिता: । भूपाल! आपकी ये ग्यारह अक्षौहिणी सेनाएँ तथा पाण्डवोंकी सात अक्षौहिणी सेनाएँ वीर पुरुषोंसे सुरक्षित हो उत्तम शोभासे सम्पन्न दिखायी देती थीं
pāṇḍavānāṃ tathā sapta mahāpuruṣa-pālitāḥ | bhūpāla! āpakī ye ekādaśa akṣauhiṇī senāeṃ tathā pāṇḍavoṃ-kī sapta akṣauhiṇī senāeṃ vīra-puruṣoṃ-se surakṣita ho uttama śobhā-se sampanna dikhāyī detī thīṃ |
Sañjaya said: O king, your eleven akṣauhiṇīs and likewise the Pandavas’ seven akṣauhiṇīs—each guarded by great heroes—appeared well-protected and resplendent. The scene shows that an army’s might lies not only in numbers, but in the quality of its leaders and the valor that upholds it on the brink of a dharma-testing war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that strength in war is not only numerical; it depends on protection, discipline, and the presence of great leaders. Ethically, it foreshadows how the coming conflict will test dharma through the use of power guided (or misused) by those leaders.
Sanjaya describes to the king the opposing forces at Kurukshetra: the king’s side with eleven akṣauhiṇīs and the Pandavas with seven. Both hosts appear splendid and secure because they are guarded by renowned heroes, setting the stage for the battle’s opening movements.