Bhagavad Gita 1.5
Spoken by Sanjaya · Verse 5 of 47
धृष्टकेतुश्चेकितानः काशिराजश्च वीर्यवान्। पुरुजित्कुन्तिभोजश्च शैब्यश्च नरपुङ्गवः॥
dhṛṣṭaketuś cekitānaḥ kāśirājaś ca vīryavān / purujit kuntibhojaś ca śaibyaś ca narapuṃgavaḥ
More allies enumerated — every hero named is a responsibility Duryodhana must account for.
Word by word (4)
- dhṛṣṭaketuḥ cekitānaḥ
- — Dhrishtaketu and Chekitana — two allied kings
- kāśirājaḥ ca vīryavān
- — and Kashiraja of great valor — king of Kashi
- purujit kuntibhojaḥ ca
- — Purujit and Kuntibhoja — both maternal relatives of the Pandavas
- śaibyaḥ ca nara-puṃgavaḥ
- — and Shaibya, the bull among men · 'Nara-puṃgava' — bull among men, the highest compliment for a warrior. Each name is a responsibility and a stake in the battle.
Duryodhana continues listing Pandava allies: Dhrishtaketu, Chekitana, the powerful king of Kashi, Purujit, Kuntibhoja, and Shaibya — all formidable warriors.
A modern analogy
Reading down a competitor's board of directors or investor list — each name adds weight to the reality of what you're up against.
Take with you
- Every major undertaking draws both allies and adversaries — the breadth of the coalition against you reveals the scale of what you're attempting.
- In crisis, knowing the full picture — however daunting — is better than partial knowledge.
Public-domain translations (2) compare all →
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Duryodhana catalogues the Pandava heroes — naming his fears, one by one.
A blind king asks what happened on the battlefield — and the Gita begins.
Arjuna sees his own people ready to die — and his body breaks before his mind can argue.
Whenever dharma declines and adharma rises — I project Myself forth. The divine responds to every crisis.
I am Time, the world-destroyer — even without you, none of these warriors shall survive; they are already slain!
This most secret śāstra spoken — knowing it, one becomes truly wise and kṛta-kṛtya: all duties fulfilled.
Verse 5 of 47 · back to Chapter 1