Shloka 26
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
चैद्यश्न चेकितानश्रु शिखण्डी चापराजित: । इन्द्रगोपकवर्णाश्व॒ केकया भ्रातरस्तथा । इन्द्रायुधसवर्णश्र॒ कुन्तिभोजो महामना:,माधव! जनार्दन! जिनके सहायक महारथी भीम, नकुल, सहदेव, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र, पांचालराजकुमार धृष्टद्युम्न, महारथी सात्यकि, उत्तमौजा, युधामन्यु, सोमक-वंशी सत्यधर्मा, चेदिराज धृष्टकेतु, चेकितान, अपराजित वीर शिखण्डी, इन्द्रगोपके समान वर्णवाले पाँचों भाई केकय-राजकुमार, इन्द्रधनुषके समान रंगवाले महामना कुन्तिभोज, भीमसेनके मामा महारथी श्येनजित्, विराटपुत्र शंख तथा अक्षयनिधिके समान आप हैं, उन्हीं युधिष्ठिरके अधिकारमें यह सारा भूमण्डल तथा कौरव-राज्य रहेगा
caidyaś ca cekitānaś ca śikhaṇḍī cāparājitaḥ | indragopakavarṇāś ca kekayā bhrātaras tathā | indrāyudhasavarṇāś ca kuntibhojo mahāmanāḥ |
Karna said: “On their side stand the Cedi prince Dhṛṣṭaketu and Cekitāna; Śikhaṇḍī too, unconquered in battle; and the Kekaya brothers, whose horses are the color of the indragopa insect; and the high-souled Kuntibhoja, radiant like Indra’s bow. With such mighty allies supporting Yudhiṣṭhira, the balance of power and the moral claim to sovereignty are being asserted: the earth and the Kuru realm are envisioned as falling under his rightful authority.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how political legitimacy and the prospect of victory are argued through the presence of righteous, capable allies. In the Udyoga context, enumerating supporters is not mere boasting: it frames sovereignty as tied to dharma-backed strength and collective commitment.
Karna is listing prominent warriors aligned with Yudhiṣṭhira’s side—Cedi’s leader, Cekitāna, Śikhaṇḍī, the Kekaya princes, and Kuntibhoja—using vivid color-epithets to heighten their martial aura. The catalogue functions as strategic rhetoric in the pre-war negotiations and assessments of force.