Mahabharata — Udyoga Parva, Shloka 15
Adhyaya 60: Self-Assertion, Daiva, and the Rhetoric of Inevitability (उद्योग पर्व)
अक्षौहिणीभिर्यान् देशान् यामि कार्येण केनचित् । तत्राश्वा मे प्रवर्तन्ते यत्र यत्राभिकामये
akṣauhīṇībhir yān deśān yāmi kāryeṇa kenacit | tatrāśvā me pravartante yatra yatrābhikāmaye ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Bila karena suatu maksud aku bepergian ke negeri-negeri mana pun dengan banyak divisi pasukan akṣauhiṇī, maka di sana kuda-kudaku berkeliaran bebas—ke mana pun aku menghendaki, ke tempat-tempat itulah mereka melaju tanpa terhalang.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the outward signs of sovereignty—armies and mobility—showing how power enables unrestricted movement. Ethically, it can be read as a caution: such freedom often reflects dominance and may feed pride, inviting reflection on whether strength is guided by dharma or mere ambition.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker (implicitly a powerful ruler/warrior) boasts of traveling across many regions with vast forces (akṣauhiṇīs), claiming that his horses can go wherever he wishes without obstruction—an assertion of control and military supremacy.