Shloka 13

सेनासमागमः — The Convergence of Armies

Devanagari script

इतश्रेतश्न पाण्डूनां समाजम्मुर्महात्मनाम्‌ । अक्षौहिण्यस्तु सप्तैता विविधध्वजसंकुला:

Transliteration

itaś cetaḥ pāṇḍūnāṃ samājaṃ mumur mahātmanām | akṣauhiṇyas tu sapta etā vividhadhvaja-saṅkulāḥ ||

Translation

इतः श्वेतश्च पाण्डूनां समाजोऽभून्महात्मनाम्। अक्षौहिण्यस्तु सप्तैता विविधध्वजसंकुलाः॥

Word by Word

• itaḥ: from here / on this side
• itaḥ: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: itaḥ

• śvetaśca: and Śveta (the white one; proper name)
• śvetaśca: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śveta
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• pāṇḍūnām: of the Pāṇḍus
• pāṇḍūnām: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāṇḍu
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• samājam: assembly / gathering
• samājam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: samāja
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• mumuhuḥ: were bewildered / became confused
• mumuhuḥ: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: muh
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Plural

• mahātmanām: of the great-souled (heroes)
• mahātmanām: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahātman
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• akṣauhiṇyaḥ: armies (akṣauhiṇīs)
• akṣauhiṇyaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣauhiṇī
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• tu: but / indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu

• sapta: seven
• sapta: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sapta
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• etāḥ: these
• etāḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: etad
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• vividha-dhvaja-saṅkulāḥ: crowded with various banners
• vividha-dhvaja-saṅkulāḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha + dhvaja + saṅkula
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशमग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Pāṇḍavas
• akṣauhiṇī (army unit)
• dhvaja (banners/standards)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when aligned with dharma, a just cause may still require organized strength and preparedness; the epic frames war as morally heavy, yet sometimes unavoidable when righteousness and rightful order are endangered.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator shifts attention to the Pāṇḍavas’ side and reports the scale and appearance of their forces: seven akṣauhiṇīs, marked by a multitude of banners, indicating a fully mobilized host.