Shloka 20
सेनासमागमः — The Convergence of Armies
Devanagari script
तेषामक्षौहिणी सेना बहुला विबभौ तदा
Transliteration
teṣām akṣauhiṇī senā bahulā vibabhau tadā
Translation
そのとき彼らの軍勢は、完全なアクシャウヒニーの数で数えられるほどに、広大で威容を示していた。戦へと膨れ上がる勢いと、まさに起ころうとする争いの重い道義的負担とを告げるかのようであった。
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.