प्रणता भूमिपाश् चापि पेतुर् हीनाः स्वतेजसा ॥
धृष्टद्युम्नः पाण्डवाश् च सात्यकिः केशवो ऽष्टमः ॥
सत्त्वस्थाः शौर्यसंपन्ना अन्योन्यप्रियकारिणः ॥
विसंज्ञान् भूमिपान् दृष्ट्वा मां च ते प्राहसंस् तदा ॥
ततः प्रहृष्टो बीभत्सुः प्रादाद् धेमविषाणिनाम् ॥
शतान्य् अनडुहां पञ्च द्विजमुख्येषु भारत ॥
praṇatā bhūmipāś cāpi petur hīnāḥ svatejasā ||
dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ pāṇḍavāś ca sātyakiḥ keśavo 'ṣṭamaḥ ||
sattvasthāḥ śauryasaṃpannā anyonyapriyakāriṇaḥ ||
visaṃjñān bhūmipān dṛṣṭvā māṃ ca te prāhasaṃs tadā ||
tataḥ prahṛṣṭo bībhatsuḥ prādād dhemaviṣāṇinām ||
śatāny anaḍuhāṃ pañca dvijamukhyeṣu bhārata ||
"And the bowed-down kings fell, deprived of their own splendor; [only] Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the Pāṇḍavas, Sātyaki, and Keśava the eighth — steadfast, endowed with valor, showing affection to one another — seeing the senseless kings and me, laughed then. Then the delighted Bībhatsu [Arjuna] gave five hundred gold-horned bull-oxen to the best of the twice-born, O Bharata."
bd8b5e5492e4 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:49:22 PM UTC
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The kings "fall, deprived of splendor" before the manifest glory — but the Pāṇḍavas and Keśava, "the eighth," stand unshaken. The distinction is telling: where everyone else grows faint, the one who stands with the Lord remains firm. The verse teaches that steadfastness comes from closeness to the Supreme: a host of rulers falls senseless, while a small company, with Keśava at its center, remains strong. And the phrase "showing affection to one another" reveals the secret of their strength — the unity of those who love, sealed by the Lord's presence. Whoever stands with Kṛṣṇa and in accord with his brothers cannot be felled by what fells all the rest; and their laughter is not malice but the lightness of hearts unburdened by envy, unlike those who have fallen.