Shloka 27

समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः

Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī

Devanagari script

एतामक्षौहिणीं प्राहु: संख्यातत्त्वविदो जना: । यां व: कथितवानस्मि विस्तरेण तपोधना:,तपोधनो! संख्याका तत्त्व जाननेवाले विद्वानोंने इसीको अक्षौहिणी कहा है, जिसे मैंने आपलोगोंको विस्तारपूर्वक बताया है

Transliteration

etām akṣauhiṇīṃ prāhuḥ saṅkhyātattvavido janāḥ | yāṃ vaḥ kathitavān asmi vistareṇa tapodhanāḥ ||

Translation

通晓数目推算及其法则之人，称此阵为“阿叉乌希尼”（akṣauhiṇī）。苦行功德丰厚者啊，这正是我已向你们详尽说明的尺度——使军势之规模得以精确知晓，言说之时不致纷乱。

Word by Word

एताम्this (her/this one)

अक्षौहिणीम्akṣauhiṇī (a complete army-division)

प्राहुःthey have said / call

संख्यातत्त्वविदःknowers of the principles of enumeration

जनाःpeople

याम्which (her/that which)

वःto you (all)

कथितवान्having told / who has told

अस्मिI am

विस्तरेणin detail / with elaboration

तपोधनाःO rich in austerity (ascetics/sages)

Speaker

राम उवाच

Characters & Entities

akṣauhiṇī

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 establishes ‘akṣauhiṇī’ as an authoritative, standardized unit of army composition, validated by experts in enumeration, so that discussions of military strength remain precise and consistent.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker concludes or reinforces a detailed explanation of the army-measure called an akṣauhiṇī, noting that learned authorities on numerical principles use this very term for the formation he has just described.