Shloka 40
यमौ च चेकितानश्न केकया: पञज्च चैव ह । सात्यकिश्व महाबाहु: सौभद्रो5थ घटोत्कच:
yamau ca cekitānaś ca kekayāḥ pañca caiva ha | sātyakiś ca mahābāhuḥ saubhadro ’tha ghaṭotkacaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Die Zwillingsbrüder Nakula und Sahadeva und Cekitāna; die fünf Fürsten von Kekaya; der mächtigarmige Sātyaki; und Abhimanyu, Sohn der Subhadrā, samt Ghaṭotkaca—diese und viele andere große Krieger der Pāṇḍavas wurden von Bhīṣmas Pfeilen gepeinigt und versanken in einem Ozean der Trauer. Doch Arjuna rettete sie alle.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the midst of overwhelming force and despair, steadfast leadership and timely intervention protect the community. The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of shielding allies and restoring morale when warriors are shaken by suffering.
Sañjaya lists key Pāṇḍava-side heroes—Nakula-Sahadeva, Cekitāna, the five Kekaya princes, Sātyaki, Abhimanyu, and Ghaṭotkaca—who are being hard-pressed by Bhīṣma’s arrows. The broader passage explains that Arjuna’s counteraction relieves them and turns back the crisis.