Shloka 41
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय ८७: सात्यकेरनुयात्रा
Sātyaki’s resolve and departure to reach Arjuna
चैद्यश्न॒ चेकितानश्न पुत्र: काश्यस्य चाभिभू: । द्रौपदेया विराटश्न द्रपदश्ष महारथ:,जिस पक्षमें भीमसेन, अर्जुन, वृष्णिवीर सात्यकि, पांचालवीर उत्तमौजा, दुर्जय युधामन्यु, दुर्धर्ष धृष्टद्युम्म, अपराजित वीर शिखण्डी, अश्मक, केकयराजकुमार, सोमकपुत्र क्षत्रधर्मा, चेदिराज धृष्टकेतु, चेकितान, काशिराजके पुत्र अभिभाू, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र, राजा विराट और महारथी ट्रुपद हैं, जहाँ पुरुषसिंह नकुल, सहदेव और मन्त्रदाता मधुसूदन हैं, वहाँ इस संसारमें कौन ऐसा वीर है, जो जीवित रहनेकी इच्छा रखकर इन वीरोंके साथ कभी युद्ध करेगा
caidyāś ca cekitānaś ca putraḥ kāśyasya cābhibhūḥ | draupadeyā virāṭaś ca drupadaś ca mahārathaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “There are also Dhṛṣṭaketu of Cedi, and Cekitāna; Abhibhū, the son of the king of Kāśī; the five sons of Draupadī; King Virāṭa; and the great chariot-warrior Drupada. When such heroes stand together—along with Bhīmasena, Arjuna, Sātyaki, the foremost Pāñcāla warriors, and others—who in this world, still desiring to live, would willingly choose to fight against them?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral-psychological reality of war: when a side is filled with renowned, dharma-aligned heroes, opposing them appears not only strategically hopeless but also existentially terrifying. It highlights how adharma-driven ambition can lead one to fight even when reason and self-preservation counsel restraint.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing of the battle, lists prominent Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors (Dhṛṣṭaketu, Cekitāna, Abhibhū, the Draupadeyas, Virāṭa, Drupada) and expresses alarm: he wonders who would willingly fight such a formidable coalition while still wishing to live.