Atirathi (atirathī)

An atirathi is a warrior rated above the maharathi, capable of engaging twelve maharathis or an unlimited number of ordinary soldiers at once. The Mahabharata uses these grades as a working scale of reputation, and much of the pre-war tension comes from disputes about who deserves which rank. Bhishma's grading session in the Udyoga Parva is really a political act, since by refusing Karna full standing he keeps him off the field for the first ten days of the war.