Shloka 15

सेनासमागमः — The Convergence of Armies

Devanagari script

भगदत्तो महीपाल: सेनामक्षौहिणीं ददौ । तस्य चीनै: किरातैश्व काज्चनैरिव संवृतम्‌

Transliteration

bhagadatto mahīpālaḥ senām akṣauhiṇīṃ dadau | tasya cīnaiḥ kirātaiś ca kāñcanair iva saṃvṛtam ||

Translation

भगदत्तो महीपालः सेनामक्षौहिणीं ददौ। तस्य चीनैः किरातैश्च काञ्चनैरिव संवृतम्॥

Word by Word

भगदत्तःBhagadatta

महीपालःthe king (protector of the earth)

सेनाम्army

अक्षौहिणीम्an akṣauhiṇī (a full military division)

ददौgave

तस्यof him / his

चीनैःby/with the Cīnas (Chinese people)

किरातैःby/with the Kirātas

चand

काञ्चनैःby/with the Kāñcanas (people called Kāñcana)

इवas if / like

संवृतम्covered, surrounded

Speaker

वैशमग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhagadatta

Akṣauhiṇī

Cīnas

Kirātas

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

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of royal agency in war: a king’s decision to supply a full akṣauhiṇī is not merely logistical but a moral commitment that amplifies the scale of violence and responsibility. It also reflects how power and ambition draw in diverse peoples, making conflict broader than a single dynasty’s quarrel.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana is enumerating the forces assembling for the Kurukṣetra war. Here he notes that King Bhagadatta contributes a full akṣauhiṇī, and that his force is accompanied by Cīna and Kirāta troops, described as shining like gold—emphasizing both splendor and formidable strength.