इन्द्रगोपकवर्णैस् तु भ्रातरः पञ्च केकयाः ॥
जातरूपसमाभासः सर्वे लोहितकध्वजाः ॥
ते हेममालिनः शूराः सर्वे युद्धविशारदाः ॥
वर्षन्त इव जीमूताः प्रत्यदृश्यन्त दंशिताः ॥
आमपात्रनिभाकाराः पाञ्चाल्यम् अमितौजसम् ॥
दान्तास् ताम्रारुणा युक्ताः शिखण्डिनम् उदावहन् ॥
indragopakavarṇais tu bhrātaraḥ pañca kekayāḥ ||
jātarūpasamābhāsaḥ sarve lohitakadhvajāḥ ||
te hemamālinaḥ śūrāḥ sarve yuddhaviśāradāḥ ||
varṣanta iva jīmūtāḥ pratyadṛśyanta daṃśitāḥ ||
āmapātranibhākārāḥ pāñcālyam amitaujasam ||
dāntās tāmrāruṇā yuktāḥ śikhaṇḍinam udāvahan ||
On horses the color of the cochineal insect [came] the five Kekaya brothers, shining like gold, all with scarlet banners. Those warriors in golden garlands, all skilled in war, appeared to the eye, clad in armor, like storm clouds raining down. Clay-colored, well-trained, copper-crimson, yoked horses carried Shikhandin, the boundlessly mighty Panchala prince.
7d159b60e45c · publicado 19 jul 2026, 15:11:21 UTC
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The five Kekaya brothers stand together, one in color and one in banner -- an image of brotherly concord, in which kinship and shared purpose fuse into one. Their likening to "storm clouds raining down" foretells the storm they will bring upon the enemy. Among them is named Shikhandin -- one whose birth and destiny are wondrous, and to whom a fateful role at Bhishma's fall is yet to fall. It is telling that the account sets the brothers side by side, as one whole. The verse teaches that brotherly unity multiplies the strength of each, making five as one; that the concord of kin under a common banner is as ominous as a gathered cloud; and that in the review of the righteous host, the bond of brothers marching shoulder to shoulder for one cause shines with a special light.