History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.464

v4.c62.464

Megasthenes (in Fragment XXVII p. 68) speaks of the camp of Sandrakottos (Candragupta Maurya) that had 400000 men, notes (in Fragment LVI) that the king of Palibothra had in his pay a standing army of six lakhs of foot-soldiers, 30000 cavalry and 9000 elephants (p. 141, McCrindle), that the king of Horatae (Surāṣṭra) had 150000 foot-soldiers, 5000 cavalry and 1600 elephants (*ibid* p. 150) and that even the Pāṇḍyan kingdom ruled by women had 150000 foot and 500 elephants (*ibid.* p. 147). Vide Beal's 'Buddhist Records &c.' vol. I. p. 213 for the armies collected by Harṣa in his march against the murderer of his elder brother (viz. 5000 elephants, 2000 horse and 50000 foot-soldiers) and the vast armies that he had after six years of conquest viz. 60000 elephants and 100000 cavalry. In the Āśvamedhikarparva (60. 14-20) it is narrated that when Droṇa assumed the post of commander-in-chief the Kaurava army had been reduced to 9 *akṣauhiṇīs* from eleven, that only five were left when Karṇa became *Senāpati* and the Pāṇḍavas had then only three left and under Śalya's command there were only three akṣauhiṇīs and the Pāṇḍavas could oppose to him only one. In reply to a question from Dhṛtarāṣṭra Yudhiṣṭhira states that in the great war the total number of warriors killed in battle came to the colossal figure of 1660020006 (Strīparva 26. 9).²⁶⁸ The Udyogaparva gives (155. 24-26) the following table for an akṣauhiṇī: 500 elephants, 500 chariots, 1500 cavalry and 2500 foot-soldiers constituted an army called *senā*, 10 *senās* = *pṛtanā*, 10 *pṛtanās* = *vāhinī*, 10 *vāhinīs* = *dhvajinī*, 10 *dhvajinīs* = *camū* and 10 *camūs* = *akṣauhiṇī*. The Kauravas had eleven akṣauhiṇīs and the Pāṇḍavas had 7. If we take the table in Ādi 2. 19-22 one akṣauhiṇī contained 21870 elephants, the same number of chariots, 65610 horses and 109350 foot-soldiers.²⁶⁹ But if the other tables be followed then the numbers may be much larger still. Another table furnished by Udyogaparva 155. 28-29 is: 55 men constituted patti, 3 pattis = senāmukha or gulma, 3 gulmas = gaṇa and there were ayutas (10 thousands) of gaṇas in the army of the Kauravas. The Ādiparva (2. 19-22)