Mahabharata 6.121.40 — Bhishma Parva, Adhyaya 121, 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 dijo: “Los gemelos Nakula y Sahadeva, y Cekitāna; los cinco príncipes de Kekaya; el poderoso Sātyaki; y Abhimanyu, hijo de Subhadrā, junto con Ghaṭotkaca—éstos y muchos otros grandes guerreros de los Pāṇḍava eran atormentados por las flechas de Bhīṣma y se hundían en un océano de aflicción. Pero Arjuna los rescató a todos.”
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.
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