History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.467.1

v4.c62.467.1

differs from both tables in some respects. The Udyogaparva 155. 22 further notes that each horseman was surrounded by ten men as attendants ( narā daśa hayaścāsan pādarakṣāḥ samantataḥ ). Though throughout the centuries the infantry was theoretically and in practice more numerous than cavalry, not much importance seems to have been attached to them as compared with chariots or horsemen. The lexicon called Vaijayantī says that patti consists of three horses, five foot-soldiers, one chariot and one elephant, that three pattis are equal to senāmukha and that senāmukha, gulma, gaṇa, vāhinī, pṛtanā, camū, anīkinī represent each three times as many as the preceding one and that 10 anīkinīs are equal to an akṣauhiṇī. The Nītiprakāśikā²⁷⁰ gives a table of groups from *patti* to *akṣauhiṇī* and remarks that each of these groups had in turn numerous supporting men e. g. each elephant was followed by a hundred horsemen and a thousand foot-soldiers and each horseman was supported by a thousand foot-soldiers (VII. 3-10). Manu VII. 192 refers to battles on water also. From references in the Mahābhārata it appears that chariots had only two wheels. Vide Bhīṣma 98. 47, Droṇaparva 154. 3, Śalya 16. 24 ( Śaineyo dakṣiṇaṁ cakraṁ Dhṛṣṭadyumnas-tathottaram ). Two noted warriors were told off to guard the two wheels of the chariot of the principal commanders and are called ' cakra-rakṣau ' (vide Bhīṣma 54. 76, 108. 5, Droṇa 91, 36, Karṇa 11. 31, 34. 44 ).