How Long Each Kuru Commander Would Need

Verse 1 (5.193.1)

प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां पुनरेव सुतस्तव । मध्ये सर्वस्य सैन्यस्य पितामहमपृच्छत ॥

prabhātāyāṃ tu śarvaryāṃ punareva sutastava | madhye sarvasya sainyasya pitāmahamapṛcchata

When the night had passed and morning came, your son again questioned the grandsire in the midst of the whole army.

Verse 2 (5.193.2)

पाण्डवेयस्य गाङ्गेय यदेतत्सैन्यमुद्यतम् । प्रभूतनरनागाश्वं महारथसमाकुलम् ॥

pāṇḍaveyasya gāṅgeya yadetatsainyamudyatam | prabhūtanaranāgāśvaṃ mahārathasamākulam

"Son of Ganga, this army of the Pandavas that stands ready for battle, teeming with men, elephants and horses and crowded with great chariot-warriors,

Verse 3 (5.193.3)

भीमार्जुनप्रभृतिभिर्महेष्वासैर्महाबलैः । लोकपालसमैर्गुप्तं धृष्टद्युम्नपुरोगमैः ॥

bhīmārjunaprabhṛtibhirmaheṣvāsairmahābalaiḥ | lokapālasamairguptaṃ dhṛṣṭadyumnapurogamaiḥ

guarded by mighty great archers, led by Bhima and Arjuna, equal to the guardians of the world, with Dhrishtadyumna at their head,

Verse 4 (5.193.4)

अप्रधृष्यमनावार्यमुद्धूतमिव सागरम् । सेनासागरमक्षोभ्यमपि देवैर्महाहवे ॥

apradhṛṣyamanāvāryamuddhūtamiva sāgaram | senāsāgaramakṣobhyamapi devairmahāhave

unassailable and irresistible like a storm-tossed ocean, an ocean of an army that even the gods could not shake in a great battle,

Note on the text: Corrected देवार्महाहवे → देवैर्महाहवे (misprint in Wikisource; the instrumental देवैः, as the critical edition devair). उद्धूतम् (CE udvṛttam) kept as a variant.

Verse 5 (5.193.5)

केन कालेन गाङ्गेय क्षपयेथा महाद्युते । आचार्यो वा महेष्वासः कृपो वाऽऽशु महाबलः ॥

kena kālena gāṅgeya kṣapayethā mahādyute | ācāryo vā maheṣvāsaḥ kṛpo vā''śu mahābalaḥ

in what time could you destroy it, son of Ganga, glorious one? And in what time the teacher, the great archer, or the mighty Kripa,

Verse 6 (5.193.6)

कर्णो वा समरश्लाघी द्रौणिर्वा द्विजसत्तमः । दिव्यास्त्रविदुषः सर्वे भवन्तो हि बले मम ॥

karṇo vā samaraślāghī drauṇirvā dvijasattamaḥ | divyāstraviduṣaḥ sarve bhavanto hi bale mama

or Karna who glories in battle, or Drona's son, best of Brahmins? For all of you in my army know the celestial weapons.

Verse 7 (5.193.7)

एतदिच्छाम्यहं ज्ञातुं परं कौतूहलं हि मे । हृदि नित्यं महाबाहो वक्तुमर्हसि तन्मम ॥

etadicchāmyahaṃ jñātuṃ paraṃ kautūhalaṃ hi me | hṛdi nityaṃ mahābāho vaktumarhasi tanmama

This is what I wish to know, for my curiosity is great and always in my heart. Mighty-armed one, you should tell me."

Verse 8 (5.193.8)

अनुरूपं कुरुश्रेष्ठ त्वय्येतत्पृथिवीपते । बलाबलममित्राणां तेषां यदिह पृच्छसि ॥

anurūpaṃ kuruśreṣṭha tvayyetatpṛthivīpate | balābalamamitrāṇāṃ teṣāṃ yadiha pṛcchasi

"It is fitting for you, best of the Kurus, lord of the earth, to ask here about the strength and weakness of your enemies.

Verse 9 (5.193.9)

शृणु राजन्मम रणे या शक्तिः परमा भवेत् । शस्त्रवीर्ये रणे यच्च भुजयोश्च महाभुज ॥

śṛṇu rājanmama raṇe yā śaktiḥ paramā bhavet | śastravīrye raṇe yacca bhujayośca mahābhuja

Hear, king, what my utmost power in battle would be, mighty-armed one: the force of my weapons in the fight, and of my two arms.

Note on the text: Corrected श्रृणु → शृणु (misprint in Wikisource; spurious र-conjunct). शस्त्रवीर्ये (CE astravīryaṃ) kept as a variant.

Verse 10 (5.193.10)

आर्जवेनैव युद्धेन योद्धव्य इतरो जनः । मायायुद्धेन मायावी इत्येतद्धर्मनिश्चयः ॥

ārjavenaiva yuddhena yoddhavya itaro janaḥ | māyāyuddhena māyāvī ityetaddharmaniścayaḥ

An ordinary man should be fought with straight fighting, and a deceiver with deceptive fighting: this is the settled rule of dharma.

Verse 11 (5.193.11)

हन्यामहं महाभाग पाण्डवानामनीकिनीम् । दिवसे दिवसे कृत्वा भागान्भागान्निजान्मम ॥

hanyāmahaṃ mahābhāga pāṇḍavānāmanīkinīm | divase divase kṛtvā bhāgānbhāgānnijānmama

Fortunate one, I could destroy the Pandava host, marking out my own portions of it day by day.

Verse 12 (5.193.12)

योधानां दशसाहस्रं कृत्वा भागं महाद्युते । सहस्रं रथिनामेकमेष भागो मतो मम ॥

yodhānāṃ daśasāhasraṃ kṛtvā bhāgaṃ mahādyute | sahasraṃ rathināmekameṣa bhāgo mato mama

Ten thousand warriors, glorious one, and one thousand chariot-fighters: that is what I reckon as one portion.

Verse 13 (5.193.13)

अनेनाहं विधानेन सन्नद्धः सततोत्थितः । क्षपयेयं महत्सैन्यं कालेनानेन भारत ॥

anenāhaṃ vidhānena sannaddhaḥ satatotthitaḥ | kṣapayeyaṃ mahatsainyaṃ kālenānena bhārata

By this plan, armed and always ready, I could wipe out that great army in that time, O Bharata.

Verse 14 (5.193.14)

मुञ्चेयं यदि वास्त्राणि महान्ति समरे स्थितः । शतसाहस्रघातीनि हन्यां मासेन भारत ॥

muñceyaṃ yadi vāstrāṇi mahānti samare sthitaḥ | śatasāhasraghātīni hanyāṃ māsena bhārata

Or if, standing in battle, I were to loose my great weapons that slay hundreds of thousands, I would kill them in a month, O Bharata."

Verse 15 (5.193.15)

श्रुत्वा भीष्मस्य तद्वाक्यं राजा दुर्योधनस्ततः । पर्यपृच्छत राजेन्द्र द्रोणमङ्गिरसां वरम् ॥

śrutvā bhīṣmasya tadvākyaṃ rājā duryodhanastataḥ | paryapṛcchata rājendra droṇamaṅgirasāṃ varam

Having heard Bhishma's words, O king of kings, King Duryodhana then asked Drona, best of the Angirasas:

Verse 16 (5.193.16)

आचार्य केन कालेन पाण्डुपुत्रस्य सैनिकान् । निहन्या इति तं द्रोणः प्रत्युवाच हसन्निव ॥

ācārya kena kālena pāṇḍuputrasya sainikān | nihanyā iti taṃ droṇaḥ pratyuvāca hasanniva

"Teacher, in what time could you slay the soldiers of Pandu's son?" Drona answered him, as if smiling:

Verse 17 (5.193.17)

स्थविरोऽस्मि महाबाहो मन्दप्राणविचेष्टितः । शस्त्राग्निना निर्दहेयं पाण्डवानामनीकिनीम् ॥

sthaviro'smi mahābāho mandaprāṇaviceṣṭitaḥ | śastrāgninā nirdaheyaṃ pāṇḍavānāmanīkinīm

"I am old, mighty-armed one, slow in breath and movement. Yet with the fire of my weapons I could burn up the Pandava host

Note on the text: Drona's answer has no printed heading; the whole verse is his speech.

Verse 18 (5.193.18)

यथा भीष्मः शान्तनवो मासेनेति मतिर्मम । एषा मे परमा शक्तिरेतन्मे परमं बलम् ॥

yathā bhīṣmaḥ śāntanavo māseneti matirmama | eṣā me paramā śaktiretanme paramaṃ balam

in a month, just as Bhishma son of Shantanu would: that is my judgment. This is my utmost power; this is my utmost strength."

Note on the text: Drona's answer continues; no printed heading.

Verse 19 (5.193.19)

द्वाभ्यामेव तु मासाभ्यां कृपः शारद्वतोऽब्रवीत् । द्रौणिस्तु दशरात्रेण प्रतिजज्ञे बलक्षयम् । कर्णस्तु पञ्चरात्रेण प्रतिजज्ञे महास्त्रवित् ॥

dvābhyāmeva tu māsābhyāṃ kṛpaḥ śāradvato'bravīt | drauṇistu daśarātreṇa pratijajñe balakṣayam | karṇastu pañcarātreṇa pratijajñe mahāstravit

Kripa son of Sharadvat said it would take two months. Drona's son vowed to destroy the army in ten nights, and Karna, master of great weapons, vowed to do it in five nights.

Verse 20 (5.193.20)

तच्छ्रुत्वा सूतपुत्रस्य वाक्यं सागरगासुतः । जहास सस्वनं हासं वाक्यं चेदमुवाच ह ॥

tacchrutvā sūtaputrasya vākyaṃ sāgaragāsutaḥ | jahāsa sasvanaṃ hāsaṃ vākyaṃ cedamuvāca ha

Hearing the words of the charioteer's son, the son of the river that flows to the sea laughed aloud and said:

Verse 21 (5.193.21)

न हि यावद्रणे पार्थं बाणशङ्खधनुर्धरम् । वासुदेवसमायुक्तं रथेनायान्तमाहवे ॥

na hi yāvadraṇe pārthaṃ bāṇaśaṅkhadhanurdharam | vāsudevasamāyuktaṃ rathenāyāntamāhave

"So long as you have not met Partha in battle, bearing arrows, conch and bow, with Vasudeva beside him, coming on in his chariot to the fight,

Note on the text: Bhishma's reply to Karna has no printed heading; the whole verse is his speech. बाणशङ्खधनुर्धरम् (CE bāṇakhaḍgadhanurdharam) kept as a variant.

Verse 22 (5.193.22)

समागच्छसि राधेय तेनैवमभिमन्यसे । शक्यमेवं च भूयश्च त्वया वक्तुं यथेष्टतः ॥

samāgacchasi rādheya tenaivamabhimanyase | śakyamevaṃ ca bhūyaśca tvayā vaktuṃ yatheṣṭataḥ

so long, son of Radha, you think this way. You may say this, and more besides, as you please."

Note on the text: Bhishma's reply continues; no printed heading.