Mahabharata 7.113.45 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 113, Shloka 45

Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)

Devanagari script

केकया भ्रातर: पज्च राक्षसक्ष घटोत्कच: । विराटो द्रुपदश्चैव शिखण्डी च महारथ:

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |

kekayā bhrātaraḥ pañca rākṣasaś ca ghaṭotkacaḥ |

virāṭo drupadaś caiva śikhaṇḍī ca mahārathaḥ |

ete samāhitās tāta rakṣiṣyanti na saṁśayaḥ ||

Translation

Dijo Yudhiṣṭhira: «Los cinco hermanos de Kekaya, y el rākṣasa Ghaṭotkaca; Virāṭa y Drupada también; y Śikhaṇḍin, gran guerrero de carro—todos ellos, plenamente alertas, querido mío, me protegerán sin falta. No hay duda.» En el marco ético de la epopeya, las palabras de Yudhiṣṭhira reflejan un reinado responsable en la crisis: no se apoya en una esperanza vana, sino en protectores disciplinados y comprometidos, afirmando la solidaridad y el deber (rakṣaṇa-dharma) en medio del caos de la guerra.

Word by Word

• {'kekayāḥ': 'the Kekayas (people/royal house of Kekaya)', 'bhrātaraḥ': 'brothers', 'pañca': 'five', 'rākṣasaḥ': 'a rākṣasa (demon-like being

• here a warrior-ally)', 'ghaṭotkacaḥ': 'Ghaṭotkaca (Bhīma’s son, famed for night-fighting and māyā)', 'virāṭaḥ': 'Virāṭa (king of Matsya, ally of the Pāṇḍavas)', 'drupadaḥ': 'Drupada (king of Pāñcāla, ally

• father of Draupadī and Dhṛṣṭadyumna)', 'caiva': 'and indeed/also', 'śikhaṇḍī': 'Śikhaṇḍin (Pāñcāla warrior, instrumental against Bhīṣma)', 'mahārathaḥ': 'great chariot-warrior (highest battlefield rank)', 'ete': 'these (persons)', 'samāhitāḥ': 'composed, attentive, fully prepared', 'tāta': 'dear one/son (an affectionate address)', 'rakṣiṣyanti': 'will protect/guard', 'na saṁśayaḥ': 'no doubt'}

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Kekaya (people/royal house)
• Five Kekaya brothers
• Ghaṭotkaca
• Virāṭa
• Drupada
• Śikhaṇḍin

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In a time of danger, righteous leadership rests on vigilance, reliable alliances, and the protective duty (rakṣaṇa) of capable warriors. Confidence is grounded not in arrogance but in disciplined preparedness and pledged support.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira names key allies—Kekaya princes, Ghaṭotkaca, Virāṭa, Drupada, and Śikhaṇḍin—assuring someone addressed as “tāta” that these warriors, being alert and ready, will certainly protect him on the battlefield.