Akshauhini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
An Akshauhini, according to Hindu mythology, consisted of several horses, elephants, rathas (or car) and the mounted warriors as well as the foot soldiers. An Akshauhini was formed in the following ratio - 1 chariot : 1 elephant : 3 horse-mounted warriors : 5 infantry soldiers.
An Akshauhini consisted of 21,870 chariots; 21,870 elephants; 65,610 horse-mounted warriors and 109,350 infantry.
[edit] Mahabharata war
The sheer magnitude of the number of warriors involved in the Mahabharata war is indicated by the fact that a total of 18 Akshauhinis fought the war. While the Kaurava army comprised 11 Akshauhinis, the Pandava army consisted of 7 Akshauhinis. However, it was never mere strength or quantum that dictated the outcome of any war; it was always the righteous that would emerge victorious. The Pandavas, who had righteousness as well as Lord Krishna (whose army was on the Kaurava side) by their side, therefore emerged victorious in the Mahabharata war.
It is written that Abhimanyu on the 13th Day of Mahabharata battle, killed more than 0.50 Akshauhini army, and Arjuna on the 14th Day of Mahabharata battle killed 5 Akshauhinis.
[edit] References
 |
This Hindu mythology-related article is a stub. See the WikiProject Hindu mythology for article coordination. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Hinduism | Hindu mythology | Itihasa |  |
|---|---|
| Female Deities: Gayatri | Saraswati | Lakshmi | Dakshayani | Parvati | Durga | Shakti | Kali | Sita | Devi | Radha | Mahavidya | more... | |
| Male Deities: Brahma | Vishnu | Shiva | Rama | Krishna | Ganesha | Kartikeya | Hanuman | Lakshmana | Indra | Surya | more... | |
| Texts: Vedas | Upanishads | Puranas | Ramayana | Mahabharata | |
