Rathi (rathī)

A rathi is a chariot warrior of the basic grade, reckoned able to fight five thousand soldiers at once; below him is the ardharathi or half warrior, and above him the maharathi and atirathi. The categories give the Mahabharata a vocabulary for measuring honour, and to be called an ardharathi in front of an assembly, as Karna is by Bhishma, is a public wound. The ranks also explain the epic's battle logic, since a maharathi engaging a rathi is not a contest but a breach of the code.