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.
The names in this verse represent allied kings of various regions of ancient India — Kasi (Varanasi), the Kunti clan, and Shaibya's kingdom. In the Mahabharata narrative, these alliances were the result of years of political maneuvering by both sides. The Gita locates its teachings within this dense web of social, political, and familial obligation — not in a philosophical vacuum. The teaching will eventually address all of these relationships and what the right action is when they conflict.
Modern parallels
Coalition-building in geopolitics or business always involves a complex web of relationships, loyalties, and interests. The Mahabharata war was not simply good vs. evil — virtually every family on the subcontinent had members on both sides. This ambiguity is precisely what makes Arjuna's crisis so profound.
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!
Duryodhana lists his greatest champions — and every name carries its own tragic irony.