The Mahaabhaaratham described a huge army involving in the war that took place at Kurukshethram between the Kouravas and the Paandavas . To have an idea of the size of that army , we should first understand the measuring unit of army , popularly known as akshouhini ( the word similar to regiment or brigade) .
Ancient Indian army consisted of four divisions.
In actual war field, any of the four can take on against any of the four.
But, while forming the divisions of the army, a mix of all the four categories in a particular proportion was taken.
The basic unit of an army was called paththi and comprised one chariot, one elephant, three horses and five soldiers.
Every next higher unit was three times its previous one. This continues upto 7 steps , i.e. upto the 8 th unit . Then that last and 8th unit multiplied 10 times was called akshouhini or akshohini.
The following table explains the count clearly.
It is clear from the table that the ratio of the forces (E:C:H:S:) is 1:1:3:5 in any division.
It should be understood that an elephant means a warrior ( some hold that an elephant carries 7 warriors, generally ) on an elephant with its driver and four guards. A chariot means a fighter in a chariot with a driver and 2 or 4 horses. A horse means a fighter mounted on a horse. Besides these animals, bullock carts etc., were also used for transportation purpose. Several staff were also employed as non-fighting force to do ancilliary services. War camps provided for entertainment programs too at night.
Incidentally, all the 4 words from Vaahini to Annekini are synonyms of the word 'army' in Samskritham.
The army that fought for either side was a gathered one . The allies of either side joined their favourites with an army of an akshouhini each . Thus accumulated ,
the army of the Paandavas consisted of 7 Akshounis and that of the Kouravas 11. Then the total number of elephants, horses,men and chariots involved in the war on both sides together can be calculated, leaving out drivers and non-fighting forces. That comes around 3 93 660 elephants, 3 93 660 chariots, 11 80 980 horses and 19 68 300 soldiers with the mounted men on the animals. Few of them must have survived. Amazing !
A still more amazing bigger army was elsewhere mentioned in the Mahaabhaaratham and Mahaabhaagavatham too. The Magadha king Jaraasandha seized Krishna's abode Mathura with an enormous army of 23 akshouhinis . The entire army was smashed but the attack was repeared seventeen times. Krishna won all the attacks but in the eighteenth sieze, he was attacked by Kaalayavana too simultaneously. It was then that Krishna left the city and rehabilitated his whole clan at a sea-guarded fort Dvaaraka . It was said that during those attacks, 391 akshouhinis were destroyed .
In Raamaayanam, still bigger numbers were mentioned while giving account of the monkey forces of Sugreeva. It is usefulto note the numbers and theirnames to have an idea of our numbering system evrn in those remote past ages.
It was told in the Mahaabhaaratham : Duryodhana asked his generals what time each of them needded to totally destroy the Paandavas' army singlehandedly . Bheeshma required 30 days, so long did Drona , Kripa 60 days, Asvaththaama 10 days and Karna just 5 days . Learning that information , Yudhishthira asked Arjuna asto what time he would need to destroy all the Kourava army . Arjuna answered that he just needded a minute to do so with the help of the great asthra Paashupatha, but he preferred to fight with normal weapons and normal asthras .
The book says that the army of the Kouravas camped everywhere around Kurukshethram , making the area like a densely populated city . The Paandava army set up their camps along the river Hiranvathy .
Modern critics doubt the truth of the numbers of the army expresssing that such a small place as the Kurukshethram couldn't have accomodated such a huge army . They must have considered the present small uninhabitated Kurukshethram area only to be the original battle field mentioned in the epic. Secondly , they must have wrongly conceived that all the 18 akshounis stood in the war simaltaneously and not as and when required . There was evidence in the book itself that a portion of the army did not go to the battle field even on the 18th day . Thus it may not be impossible that 18 akshounis fought in Kurukshethram .
It was mentioned in the Aashvamedhdika parva ( Chapter 65) as Krishna's words to his father vasudeva, that the kouravas' army was about 9 akshouhinis after Bheeshma's fall, 5 Akshouhinis after Drona's fall ( against paandavas' 3 akshohinis then) and 3 akshouhinis after Karna's fall ( paandavas - 1 ). These 3 akshouhinis were nearly killed on the same day, i.e. the 18 th day. A little part of the Paandavas' army that survived the last day's battle was totally annihilated by Ashvaththaama the same night.
Thus, the loss of Kouravas' army was as following during various leaderships.
Bheeshma lost in 10 days - 2 akshouhinis.
Similarly, the loss of paandavas' army was as following during different leaderships of the kourava army.
Bheeshma and Drona killed in 15 days - 4 akshouhinis
The above extract clearly shows that Karna inflicted more damage on the paandavas in two days than that caused by Bheeshma and Drona put together in 15 days ! That adds strength to the popular argument that the two elders were biased in favour of paandavas and just 'passed time' in the war but Karna made full effort.
Similarly, the weakened and vulnerable kourava side suffered the worst on the last day.
Also, different arrays of the army were mentioned in the epic . An array was a strategic deployment of the army in a particular form of appearance, depending on the needs of attack or defence. The formations were differently named ( many after the names of animals, birds and things ), like Sarpa (serpent), Garuda (eagle / vulture),Krouncha (heron),Padma(lotus), Shakata (cart), Soochi (needle), Vajra(diamond), Kurma (turtle), Makara (alligator) etc. The names suggest, but do not necessarily mean, the strategy of defence or attack intended by the general of the army .
Details can be seen in the main text and other books like Shkraneethi or Arthashaasthram.
Name of the division Narration Composition of E C H S in it, in that order. Paththi basic unit 1, 1, 3, 5 Senaamukham 3 times Paththi 3, 3, 9, 15 Gulmam 3 times Senaamukham 9, 9, 27, 45 Ganam 3 times Gulmam 27, 27, 81, 135 Vaahini 3 times Ganam 81, 81, 243, 405 Prithana 3 times Vaahini 243, 243, 729, 1215
Chamu 3 times Prithana 729, 729, 2187, 3645 Aneekini 3 times Chamu 2187, 2187, 6561, 10935 Akshouhini 10 times Aneekini 21870, 21870, 65610, 109350
Drona lost in 5 days - 4 akshouhinis
Karna lost in 2 day - 2 akshouhinis
Shalya in half a day and Duryodhana in the following few hours lost - 3 akshouhinis
Karna killed in 2 days - 2 akshouhinis
Shalya and others killed in one day - less than 1 akshouhini
Ashvaththaama killed in one night - remaining part of the last 1 akshouhini "After praying to Naaraayana, Nara, Sarasvathi and Vyaasa, then one should read the Jayam."
DEDICATED TO MY DEAR NIECE VYSHNAVI KRISHNA