Shloka 12
Devanagari script
योधानां दशसाहसंं कृत्वा भागं महाद्युते । सहस्र॑ं रथिनामेकमेष भागो मतो मम
Transliteration
yodhānāṁ daśasāhasraṁ kṛtvā bhāgaṁ mahādyute | sahasraṁ rathinām ekam eṣa bhāgo mato mama ||
Translation
हे महाद्युते! दहा हजार योद्धे एक भाग मानून, आणि एक रथी हजारांच्या तुल्य धरून—माझ्या मते हाच भागाचा माप आहे।
Word by Word
योधानाम्of warriors
योधानाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootयोध
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
दशसाहस्यम्a group of ten thousand
दशसाहस्यम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootदशसाहस्य
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
कृत्वाhaving made
कृत्वा:
TypeVerb
Rootकृ
FormAbsolutive (Gerund)
भागम्a share/portion
भागम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootभाग
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
महाद्युतेO great-splendored one
महाद्युते:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootमहाद्युति
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
सहस्रम्a thousand
सहस्रम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootसहस्र
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
रथिनाम्of chariot-warriors
रथिनाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootरथिन्
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
एकम्one (unit)
एकम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootएक
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
एषःthis
एषः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootएतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
भागःshare/portion
भागः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootभाग
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
मतःconsidered/held (as)
मतः:
TypeVerb
Rootमन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
ममof me / my
मम:
Adhikarana
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
FormGenitive, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaY
yodhāḥ (soldiers)R
rathinaḥ (chariot-warriors)R
ratha (chariot)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
Bhīṣma proposes a conventional way to quantify military strength by setting equivalences between different troop types, emphasizing disciplined assessment and strategic clarity rather than mere numbers.
In the Udyoga Parva’s war-preparation context, Bhīṣma states his view on how to count and compare forces—treating large bodies of common soldiers and elite chariot-fighters by a fixed proportional standard.