Warriors by Region and Bodily Signs

Verse 1 (12.101.1)

किंशीलाः किंसमुत्थानाः कथंरूपाश्च भारत । किंसन्नाहाः कथंशस्त्रा जनाः स्युः संयुगे नृपाः ॥

kiṃśīlāḥ kiṃsamutthānāḥ kathaṃrūpāśca bhārata | kiṃsannāhāḥ kathaṃśastrā janāḥ syuḥ saṃyuge nṛpāḥ

What character and what drive should they have, and what appearance, O Bharata? What armour and what weapons should the men have who fight for kings in battle?

Verse 2 (12.101.2)

यथाचरितमेवात्र शस्त्रं पत्रं विधीयते । आचाराद्धीह पुरुषस्तथा कर्मसु वर्तते ॥

yathācaritamevātra śastraṃ patraṃ vidhīyate | ācārāddhīha puruṣastathā karmasu vartate

Here weapon and mount are assigned according to the way a people has long been accustomed to act; for a man goes about his tasks according to his customary conduct.

Verse 3 (12.101.3)

गान्धाराः सिन्धुसौवीरा नखरप्रासयोधिनः । अभीरवः सुबलिनस्तद्वलं सर्वपारगम् ॥

gāndhārāḥ sindhusauvīrā nakharaprāsayodhinaḥ | abhīravaḥ subalinastadvalaṃ sarvapāragam

The Gandharas, Sindhus and Sauviras fight with claw-blades and javelins; they are fearless and very strong, and their force carries through every task.

Verse 4 (12.101.4)

सर्वशस्त्रेषु कुशलाः सत्ववन्तो ह्युशीनराः । प्राच्या मातङ्गयुद्धेषु कुशलाः कूटयोधिनः ॥

sarvaśastreṣu kuśalāḥ satvavanto hyuśīnarāḥ | prācyā mātaṅgayuddheṣu kuśalāḥ kūṭayodhinaḥ

The Ushinaras are skilled with every weapon and full of courage; the Easterners are skilled in fighting from elephants, and they fight by trickery.

Verse 5 (12.101.5)

तथा यवनकाम्भोजा मधुरामभितश्च ये । एतेऽश्वयुद्धकुशला दाक्षिणात्याऽसिचर्मिणः । सर्वत्र शूरा जायन्ते महासत्वा महाबलाः ॥

tathā yavanakāmbhojā madhurāmabhitaśca ye | ete'śvayuddhakuśalā dākṣiṇātyā'sicarmiṇaḥ | sarvatra śūrā jāyante mahāsatvā mahābalāḥ

The Yavanas and Kambojas, and those around Mathura, are skilled in fighting on horseback; the Southerners fight with sword and shield. Everywhere brave men are born, of great spirit and great strength.

Note on the text: Lines 1-2 = CE 12.102.5a,c (Wikisource एतेऽश्वयुद्धकुशला for niyuddhakuśalā, a recension variant, kept); line 3 = CE 12.102.6a. The alignment found no match.

Verse 6 (12.101.6)

आवन्तिका महाशूराश्चतुरङ्गे च मालवाः । एकोऽपि हि सहस्रस्य तिष्ठत्यभिमुखो रणे ॥

āvantikā mahāśūrāścaturaṅge ca mālavāḥ | eko'pi hi sahasrasya tiṣṭhatyabhimukho raṇe

The Avantis, and the Malavas, are great heroes in the fourfold army; even a single one of them stands facing a thousand in battle.

Note on the text: Not in the critical edition's constituted text; it is the CE star passage 12.102.6b*0239_01-02 (āvantikā mahāśūrāś caturaṅge ca māḷavāḥ / eko 'pi hi sahasrasya tiṣṭhaty abhimukho raṇe), which the alignment did not match.

Verse 7 (12.101.7)

प्रायो देशाः समुद्दिष्टा लक्षणानि तु मे शृणु ॥

prāyo deśāḥ samuddiṣṭā lakṣaṇāni tu me śṛṇu

I have named the regions for the most part; now hear the marks of such men from me.

Note on the text: = CE 12.102.6c (Wikisource देशाः for eṣa). The critical edition's couplet 6a,c is divided here between the previous verses and this line. The alignment found no match.

Verse 8 (12.101.8)

सिंहशार्दूलवाङ्नेत्राः सिंहशार्दूलगामिनः । पारावतकुलिङ्गाक्षाः सर्वे शूराः प्रमाथिनः ॥

siṃhaśārdūlavāṅnetrāḥ siṃhaśārdūlagāminaḥ | pārāvatakuliṅgākṣāḥ sarve śūrāḥ pramāthinaḥ

Men whose voice and eyes are like a lion's or a tiger's, who walk like a lion or a tiger, whose eyes are like a pigeon's or a serpent's, are all brave and crush their foes.

Note on the text: Corrected सिंहशार्दूलवाङ्गेत्राः → सिंहशार्दूलवाङ्नेत्राः (misprint in Wikisource; ग for न, so that no word results; the critical edition reads siṃhaśārdūlavāṅnetrāḥ).

Verse 9 (12.101.9)

मृगस्वरा द्वीपिनेत्रा ऋषभाक्षास्तथा परे । प्रमाथिनश्च मन्द्राश्च क्रोधनाः किङ्किणीस्वनाः ॥

mṛgasvarā dvīpinetrā ṛṣabhākṣāstathā pare | pramāthinaśca mandrāśca krodhanāḥ kiṅkiṇīsvanāḥ

Others have the voice of a deer, the eyes of a leopard, the eyes of a bull; they are crushers, deep-voiced, quick to anger, with voices ringing like little bells.

Verse 10 (12.101.10)

मेघस्वनाः क्रूरमुखाः केचिच्च कलनिस्वनाः । जिह्मनासाग्रजिह्वाश्च दूरगा दूरपातिनः ॥

meghasvanāḥ krūramukhāḥ kecicca kalanisvanāḥ | jihmanāsāgrajihvāśca dūragā dūrapātinaḥ

Some have voices like thunder-clouds and cruel faces, some a sweet cooing voice; with crooked nose-tips and tongues, they go far and strike from afar.

Verse 11 (12.101.11)

बिडालकुब्जाः स्तब्धाक्षास्तनुकेशास्तनुत्वचः । शीघ्राश्चपलचित्ताश्च ते भवन्ति दुरासदाः ॥

biḍālakubjāḥ stabdhākṣāstanukeśāstanutvacaḥ | śīghrāścapalacittāśca te bhavanti durāsadāḥ

Men stooped like cats, with fixed stares, thin hair and thin skin, swift and fickle of mind: such men become hard to withstand.

Verse 12 (12.101.12)

गौरा निमीलिताः केचिन्मृदुप्रकृतयस्तथा । तुरङ्गगतिनिर्घोषास्ते नराः पारयिष्णवः ॥

gaurā nimīlitāḥ kecinmṛduprakṛtayastathā | turaṅgagatinirghoṣāste narāḥ pārayiṣṇavaḥ

Some are fair-skinned with half-closed eyes, and of gentle nature, with the gait and sound of horses: such men are able to carry things through.

Verse 13 (12.101.13)

सुसंहताः प्रतनवो व्यूढोरस्काः सुसंस्थिताः । प्रवादितेषु कुप्यन्ति हृष्यन्ति कलहेषु च ॥

susaṃhatāḥ pratanavo vyūḍhoraskāḥ susaṃsthitāḥ | pravāditeṣu kupyanti hṛṣyanti kalaheṣu ca

Well-knit, slender, broad-chested and steady in stance, they grow angry when instruments are sounded, and delight in quarrels.

Note on the text: Corrected कलद्देषु → कलहेषु (misprint in Wikisource; द्द for ह, so that no word results; the critical edition reads kalaheṣu).

Verse 14 (12.101.14)

गम्भीराक्षा निसृष्टाक्षाः पिङ्गाक्षा भ्रुकुटीमुखाः । नकुलाक्षास्तथा चैव सर्वे शूरास्तनुत्यजः ॥

gambhīrākṣā nisṛṣṭākṣāḥ piṅgākṣā bhrukuṭīmukhāḥ | nakulākṣāstathā caiva sarve śūrāstanutyajaḥ

With deep-set eyes, wide-set eyes, tawny eyes, frowning faces, or eyes like a mongoose's: all these are brave and careless of their bodies.

Verse 15 (12.101.15)

जिह्माक्षाः प्रललाटाश्च निर्मांसहनवोऽव्यथाः । वक्रबाह्वङ्गुलीसक्थाः कृशा धमनिसंतताः ॥

jihmākṣāḥ pralalāṭāśca nirmāṃsahanavo'vyathāḥ | vakrabāhvaṅgulīsakthāḥ kṛśā dhamanisaṃtatāḥ

Squint-eyed, with prominent foreheads, fleshless jaws, and fearless; with crooked arms, fingers and thighs, lean, with the veins standing out over their bodies.

Note on the text: Corrected जिह्नाक्षाः → जिह्माक्षाः (misprint in Wikisource; ह्न for ह्म, so that no word results; the critical edition reads jihmākṣāḥ).

Verse 16 (12.101.16)

प्रविशन्ति च वेगेन सांपराये ह्युपस्थिते । वारणा इव संमत्तास्ते भवन्ति दुरासदाः ॥

praviśanti ca vegena sāṃparāye hyupasthite | vāraṇā iva saṃmattāste bhavanti durāsadāḥ

When battle is at hand they plunge in with force, and like maddened elephants they are hard to withstand.

Verse 17 (12.101.17)

दीप्तस्फुटितकेशान्ताः स्थूलपार्श्वहनूमुखाः । उन्नतांसाः पृथुग्रीवा विकटाः स्थूलपिण्डिकाः ॥

dīptasphuṭitakeśāntāḥ sthūlapārśvahanūmukhāḥ | unnatāṃsāḥ pṛthugrīvā vikaṭāḥ sthūlapiṇḍikāḥ

With hair-ends tawny and split, heavy flanks, jaws and mouths, raised shoulders, thick necks, huge frames and thick calves.

Verse 18 (12.101.18)

उद्बन्धा इव सुग्रीवा विनताविहगा इव । पिण्डशीर्षातिवक्राश्च पृषदंशमुखास्तथा ॥

udbandhā iva sugrīvā vinatāvihagā iva | piṇḍaśīrṣātivakrāśca pṛṣadaṃśamukhāstathā

Taut as if strung up, fine-necked, stooping like birds; round-headed, very wide-mouthed, and with faces like a spotted cat's.

Verse 19 (12.101.19)

अग्रस्वरा मन्युमन्तो युद्धेष्वारावसारिणः । अधर्मज्ञाऽवलिप्ताश्च घोरा रौद्रप्रदर्शनाः ॥

agrasvarā manyumanto yuddheṣvārāvasāriṇaḥ | adharmajñā'valiptāśca ghorā raudrapradarśanāḥ

Loud-voiced and full of fury, they rush into battle with roars; ignorant of dharma and arrogant, they are fierce and terrible to look at.

Verse 20 (12.101.20)

त्यक्तात्मानः सर्व एते उदग्रा ह्यनिवर्तिनः । पुरस्कार्याः सदा सैन्ये हन्यन्ते घ्नन्ति चापि ते ॥

tyaktātmānaḥ sarva ete udagrā hyanivartinaḥ | puraskāryāḥ sadā sainye hanyante ghnanti cāpi te

All of these have given up their lives, are violent and never turn back. They should always be placed in front in the army; they are slain, and they slay.

Verse 21 (12.101.21)

अधार्मिका भिन्नवृत्ताः सान्त्वेनैषां पराभवः । एवमेव प्रदूष्यन्ते राज्ञोऽप्येते ह्यभीक्ष्णशः ॥

adhārmikā bhinnavṛttāḥ sāntvenaiṣāṃ parābhavaḥ | evameva pradūṣyante rājño'pyete hyabhīkṣṇaśaḥ

They are unrighteous and of broken conduct; the way to overcome them is conciliation. Yet it is just so that such men are corrupted again and again, even in a king's own service.