Shloka 17
Adhyāya 20 — Rājadharma Argument for Paternal Inheritance and Timely Conciliation
अपरे पुरुषव्याप्रा: सहस्राक्षोहिणीसमा: । सात्यकिर्भीमसेनश्व॒ यमौ च सुमहाबलौ,“इसके सिवा सात्यकि, भीमसेन तथा महाबली नकुल-सहदेव आदि जो दूसरे पुरुषसिंह वीर हैं, वे अकेले हजार अक्षौहिणी सेनाओंके समान हैं
apare puruṣa-vyāprāḥ sahasrākṣauhiṇī-samāḥ | sātyakir bhīmasenaś ca yamau ca su-mahā-balau ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: “E além destes, há outros heróis, leões entre os homens, de valor comprovado—como Sātyaki, Bhīmasena e os gêmeos (Nakula e Sahadeva), de grande força—; cada um deles equivale, por si só, a mil akṣauhiṇīs de tropas.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic idea that dharmic resolve and exceptional personal valor can be depicted as strategically decisive—so much so that a single steadfast hero is praised as equaling vast armies—thereby stressing responsibility, courage, and the grave moral weight of choosing war.
Vaiśampāyana is enumerating and praising key warriors, stating that Sātyaki, Bhīma, and the twin Pāṇḍavas (Nakula and Sahadeva) possess such might that each is comparable to a thousand akṣauhiṇīs, amplifying the sense of looming conflict and the formidable strength on the Pāṇḍava side.