Shloka 20
Droṇa Interdicts Sātyaki; Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and Duel with Kṛtavarmā (द्रोण-निवारणम्, सात्यकि-प्रवेशः, कृतवर्म-युद्धम्)
येषां योद्धा गुडाकेशो येषां मन्त्री जनार्दन: । येषां च सात्यकिर्योद्धा येषां योद्धा वृकोदर:,जिनके योद्धा गुडाकेश अर्जुन हैं, जिनके मन्त्री भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण हैं तथा जिनकी ओरससे युद्ध करनेवाले योद्धा सात्यकि और भीमसेन हैं, उनके साथ कौरवों तथा उनके चरण-चिह्लोंपर चलनेवाले अन्य नरेशोंको छोड़कर दूसरा कौन मरणथधर्मा धनुर्धर युद्ध करनेका साहस कर सकता है?
yeṣāṁ yoddhā guḍākeśo yeṣāṁ mantrī janārdanaḥ | yeṣāṁ ca sātyakir yoddhā yeṣāṁ yoddhā vṛkodaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “When their champion is Guḍākeśa (Arjuna), their counsellor is Janārdana (Kṛṣṇa), and when fighters like Sātyaki and Vṛkodara (Bhīma) stand on their side—who among mortal bowmen could dare to wage war against them, except the Kauravas and those kings who merely follow in the Kauravas’ footsteps?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that righteous strength is not merely numerical; it is amplified by exemplary warriors and, above all, by wise counsel—here embodied by Kṛṣṇa as minister. It implies an ethical warning: opposing such a side is not just militarily reckless but morally misguided, sustained mainly by blind allegiance.
Sañjaya is describing to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the formidable composition of the Pāṇḍava side: Arjuna as chief fighter, Kṛṣṇa as strategist, and allies like Sātyaki and Bhīma. He rhetorically asks who would dare fight them, except the Kauravas and the kings who follow the Kauravas’ lead.