Shloka 17

Devanagari script

इन्द्रगोपकवर्ण श्र भ्रातर: पठच केकया:

Transliteration

indragopakavarṇāś ca bhrātaraḥ pañca kekayāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “And the five brothers of the Kekaya line—radiant with a hue like the indragopa insect—(were there as well).” The line highlights the presence of allied warriors and uses vivid color imagery to intensify the battlefield’s atmosphere, where kinship ties and duty to one’s side drive men into the moral gravity of war.

Word by Word

• इन्द्रगोपकवर्णाः: having the color of indragopa insects (crimson-colored)
• इन्द्रगोपकवर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इन्द्रगोपकवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भ्रातरः: brothers
• भ्रातरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रातृ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• पञ्च: five
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पञ्च

• केकयाः: the Kekayas (people of Kekaya)
• केकयाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: केकय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kekayas
• the five Kekaya brothers
• indragopa (insect, as a color-simile)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how lineage-based alliances and kṣatriya obligations draw warriors into battle; the striking “indragopa-red” imagery reminds the listener of the vivid, perilous reality of war and the weight of choices made under duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is listing notable fighters present in the conflict, mentioning the five brothers from the Kekaya lineage and describing their appearance with a crimson, indragopa-like hue.