Shloka 20
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
चेकितानस्तु वार्ष्णेयो गौतमं रथिनां वरम् | प्रेक्षतां सर्वसैन्यानां छादयामास सायकै:,उधर वृष्णिवंशी चेकितानने रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ कृपाचार्यको सब सेनाओंके देखते-देखते अपने सायकोंसे आच्छादित कर दिया
cekitānas tu vārṣṇeyo gautamaṁ rathināṁ varam | prekṣatāṁ sarvasainyānāṁ chādayāmāsa sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Maka Cekitāna daripada keturunan Vṛṣṇi, di hadapan mata seluruh bala tentera, menutupi Gautama—Kṛpācārya, yang terunggul antara pahlawan kereta perang—dengan hujan anak panah. Adegan ini menegaskan bahawa dalam tata tertib perang yang tidak mengenal belas, bahkan para tua dan guru yang dihormati pun menjadi sasaran apabila mereka berdiri sebagai pejuang di medan laga.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the hard edge of kṣatriya-dharma in war: personal reverence for elders or teachers does not override battlefield duty once they stand as armed opponents. It also reflects the epic’s ethical tension—honor and respect persist, yet combat compels forceful action.
Sañjaya describes a battlefield moment where Cekitāna, a Vṛṣṇi warrior, unleashes a dense volley of arrows that ‘covers’ Kṛpācārya (called the Gautama), renowned as a foremost chariot-fighter, in full view of both armies.