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

Юдхиштхира сказал: «Пять братьев из Кекая и ракшаса Гхатоткача; Вирата и Друпада также; и Шикханди — великий колесничий воин: все они, будучи настороже, о дорогой, непременно защитят меня. В этом нет сомнения». В нравственной рамке эпоса слова Юдхиштхиры выражают ответственное царствование в час бедствия: он опирается не на пустую надежду, а на дисциплинированных и давших обет защитников, утверждая солидарность и долг (rakṣaṇa-dharma) среди хаоса войны.

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.