TEXT 30
acodayad dhasti-rathasva-pattibhir
gadasi-banarsti-sataghni-saktibhih
aksauhinih sapta-dasatibhisanas
ta rama eko bhagavan asudayat
SYNONYMS
acodayathe sent for fighting; hastiwith elephants; rathawith chariots; asvawith horses; pattibhihand with infantry; gadawith clubs; asiwith swords; banawith arrows; rstiwith the weapons called rstis; sataghniwith weapons called sataghnis; saktibhihwith weapons called saktis; aksauhinihwhole groups of aksauhinis; sapta-dasaseventeen; ati-bhisanahvery fierce; tahall of them; ramahLord Parasurama; ekahalone; bhagavanthe Supreme Personality of Godhead; asudayatkilled.
TRANSLATION
Upon seeing Parasurama, Kartaviryarjuna immediately feared him and sent many elephants, chariots, horses and infantry soldiers equipped with clubs, swords, arrows, rstis, sataghnis, saktis, and many similar weapons to fight against him. Kartaviryarjuna sent seventeen full aksauhinis of soldiers to check Parasurama. But Lord Parasurama alone killed all of them.
PURPORT
The word aksauhini refers to a military phalanx consisting of 21,870 chariots and elephants, 109,350 infantry soldiers and 65,610 horses. An exact description is given in the Mahabharata, Adi parva, Second Chapter, as follows:
eko ratho gajas caikah
narah panca padatayah
trayas ca turagas taj-jnaih
pattir ity abhidhiyate
pattim tu trigunam etam
viduh senamukham budhah
trini senamukhany eko
gulma ity adhidhiyate
trayo gulma gano nama
vahini tu ganas trayah
srutas tisras tu vahinyah
prtaneti vicaksanaih
camus tu prtanas tisras
camvas tisras tv anikini
anikinim dasa-gunam
ahur aksauhinim budhah
aksauhinyas tu sankhyata
rathanam dvija-sattamah
sankhya-ganita-tattvajnaih
sahasrany eka-vimsati
satany upari castau ca
bhuyas tatha ca saptatih
gajanam tu parimanam
tavad evatra nirdiset
panca-sasti-sahasrani
tathasvanam satani ca
dasottarani sat cahur
yathavad abhisankhyaya
etam aksauhinim prahuh
sankhya-tattva-vido janah
One chariot, one elephant, five infantry soldiers and three horses are called a patti by those who are learned in the science. The wise also know that a senamukha is three times what a patti is. Three senamukhas are known as one gulma, three gulmas are called a gana, and three ganas are called a vahini. Three vahinis have been referred to by the learned as a prtana, three prtanas equal one camu, and three camus equal one anikini. The wise refer to ten anikinis as one aksauhini. The chariots of an aksauhini have been calculated at 21,870 by those who know the science of such calculations, O best of the twice-born, and the number of elephants is the same. The number of infantry soldiers is 109,350, and the number of horses is 65,610. This is called an aksauhini.

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