समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
अहानि युयुधे भीष्मो दशैव परमास्त्रवित् । अहानि पज्च द्रोणस्तु ररक्ष कुरुवाहिनीम्,अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंके सर्वोपरि मर्मज्ञ भीष्मपितामहने दस दिनोंतक युद्ध किया, आचार्य द्रोणने पाँच दिनोंतक कौरव-सेनाकी रक्षा की
ahāni yuyudhe bhīṣmo daśaiva paramāstravit | ahāni pañca droṇas tu rarakṣa kuruvāhinīm ||
परमास्त्रांचा मर्मज्ञ भीष्म दहा दिवस युद्धला; आणि द्रोणाचार्यांनी पाच दिवस कौरव-वाहिनीचे रक्षण केले.
राम उवाच
The verse highlights how responsibility in war is borne by appointed protectors: the army’s survival depends on disciplined leadership and mastery of arms, reminding readers that power and duty are inseparable and that outcomes often hinge on a few key agents entrusted with protection.
It states the duration of command and battlefield role: Bhīṣma fought for ten days, and afterward Droṇa guarded the Kuru forces for five days, indicating a chronological sequence of principal commanders and their protective function over the Kaurava host.