Gita 01.18 – The Pandava’s illustrious sons gallantly serve their parents.

 

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drupado draupadeyāś ca

sarvaśaḥ pṛthivī-pate

saubhadraś ca mahā-bāhuḥ

śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak 

 

Word-for-word:

drupadaḥ — Drupada, the King of Pāñcāla; draupadeyāḥ — the sons of Draupadī; ca — also; sarvaśaḥ — all; pṛthivī-pate — O King; saubhadraḥ — Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā; ca — also; mahā-bāhuḥ — mighty-armed; śaṅkhān — conchshells; dadhmuḥ — blew; pṛthak pṛthak — each separately.

 

Translation:

Drupada, the sons of Draupadī, and others, O King, such as the mighty-armed son of Subhadrā, all blew their respective conchshells.

 

Explanation:

In this verse, Sañjaya, the narrator of the Bhagavad-gītā, describes the response of the Pāṇḍava warriors to the Kauravas’ blowing of conchshells. After first addressing the Pāṇḍavas’ reaction, he elaborates on the responses of other prominent warriors.

 

Drupado draupadeyāś ca : The verse mentions the words ‘drupado’ and ‘draupadeyā’, referring to King Drupada and his grandsons, respectively. Draupadī, named after her father King Drupada, carried his legacy in her name. Similarly, her sons—Drupada’s grandsons—are called ‘draupadeyā’. This is akin to how the Pāṇḍavas are named after their father, Pāṇḍu.

 

The Mahābhārata illustrates how sons and daughters were often named after their fathers, reflecting familial bonds and lineage. In Draupadī’s case, her name symbolized her father’s affection for her. Her sons, referred to as ‘draupadeyāś ca’ in this verse, are the five sons of the Pāṇḍavas through Draupadī. These five sons, while not on the same level as their divinely empowered fathers, were still formidable warriors in their own right.

 

Though young, they joined their parents’ cause and fought valiantly. Similar to Abhimanyu, who was also young, Draupadī’s sons displayed remarkable courage and vigor on the battlefield. Their mention in the verse underscores their significance and contribution to the war effort.

 

Draupadī is the wife of all five Pāṇḍavas, and she had one son with each of them. Collectively, these sons are referred to as ‘draupadeyāś ca’. The names of Draupadī’s five sons are as follows: Prativindhya (from Yudhiṣṭhira), Sutasoma (from Bhīma), Śrutakarma (from Arjuna), Sātanīka (from Nakula), and Śrutasena (from Sahadeva).

 

Tragically, at the conclusion of the Kurukṣetra war, these five sons were brutally killed by Aśvatthāmā while they were sleeping on the eighteenth night, as described in the Sauptika Parva. This act left the Pāṇḍavas heirless, at least through their primary queen, Draupadī.

 

Sarvaśaḥ pṛthivī-pate : The term ‘pṛthivī-pate’ translates to “lords of the earth.” The word ‘pṛthivī’ carries multiple meanings. In contemporary usage, it often refers to the earth planet, one of the celestial bodies. However, in traditional contexts, ‘pṛthivī’ also denotes one of the five gross elements—earth or land.

 

In this verse, ‘pṛthivī’ does not refer to the entire earth as a planet, as Draupadī’s sons were not rulers of the whole world. Nor does it pertain to the element earth in a general sense, since the ultimate lord of all elements is Kṛṣṇa. Instead, ‘pṛthivī’ here refers to a specific manifestation of the earth element—namely, the territory or land under the jurisdiction of these particular kings. It signifies the kingdom or area governed by the sons of Draupadī, emphasizing their regional dominion rather than a universal one.

 

The sons of the Pāṇḍavas may not have been kings in their own right at the time, but as princes, they shared in the power and glory of their parents. By virtue of belonging to the royal family, they could also be referred to as ‘pṛthivī-pate’ in a generic, inclusive sense, akin to kings.

 

While the ultimate ‘pṛthivī-pate’ is Kṛṣṇa, in the functional context of this world, terms like ‘mahi-pate’ or ‘pṛthivī-pate’ are commonly used to describe kings. These titles reflect their operational control and authority over the land during their reigns. Thus, the usage of such terms highlights their position and influence within the framework of worldly governance.

 

Saubhadraś ca mahā-bāhuḥ : The son of Subhadrā, Abhimanyu, is specifically singled out in this verse among the younger generation of the Pāṇḍavas. While several other notable sons of the Pāṇḍavas were present on the battlefield, including Irāvān, the son of Arjuna, and Ghaṭotkaca, the formidable son of Bhīma, Abhimanyu’s mention stands out.

Ghaṭotkaca, in particular, displayed extraordinary might on the fourteenth night of the war. His ferocious combat caused such terror among the Kauravas that they were practically fleeing the battlefield. Karṇa, recognizing the dire situation, was compelled to use the ‘śakti astra’, a divine weapon he had reserved exclusively for Arjuna. Karṇa realized that without deploying this weapon, he would be unable to check Ghaṭotkaca’s onslaught, let alone survive long enough to fulfill his ultimate objective of killing Arjuna.

 

The word ‘ca’ in the verse refers inclusively to the other sons, such as Ghaṭotkaca, acknowledging their presence and contributions to the war effort.

 

The word ‘saubhadra’ refers to the son of Subhadrā, namely Abhimanyu. Among the sons of the Pāṇḍavas, Abhimanyu and Ghaṭotkaca were especially renowned for their valor. Both fought fiercely on the battlefield.

 

Ghaṭotkaca, being a rākṣasa, grew up rapidly and became a powerful warrior. One of his sons, Anjanparva, who fought on the side of the Pāṇḍavas, was killed by Aśvatthāmā. Enraged by his son’s death, Ghaṭotkaca retaliated, wounding Aśvatthāmā in battle. However, due to Aśvatthāmā’s formidable prowess, Ghaṭotkaca was also injured. Both warriors, heavily wounded, were forced to retreat from the battlefield.

 

At one point, Ghaṭotkaca defeated Duryodhana, Bhīma’s archrival. However, Ghaṭotkaca spared Duryodhana’s life out of respect for Bhīma’s vow to personally kill all 100 Kauravas. This defeat was especially humiliating for Duryodhana, as he believed he could easily overpower the father, Bhīma, yet found himself vanquished by the son.

 

Thus, Ghaṭotkaca performed formidable deeds on the battlefield, akin to Abhimanyu’s heroic exploits, further solidifying his reputation as a mighty warrior in the Kurukṣetra war.

 

Abhimanyu was truly outstanding. On the very first day of battle, he excelled by challenging the unstoppable Bhīṣma. Within just a few days, he was recognized as one of the foremost warriors on the Pāṇḍava side. When Droṇācārya set up the chakravyūha formation, he had informed Duryodhana that their objective was either to capture Yudhiṣṭhira or to trap a formidable warrior from the Pāṇḍava side. The warrior who became entrapped in the formation was none other than Abhimanyu.

 

The point here is that, despite his youth, Abhimanyu was considered a formidable warrior—one of the top warriors on the Pāṇḍava side—and thus he is mentioned separately in the verse as ‘saubhadraś ca mahā-bāhuḥ’. Although young in age, his strength was immense. Unlike Bhīma, whose strength lay primarily in wrestling, Abhimanyu’s prowess was in archery, where he excelled, much like his father, Arjuna.

 

Śaṅkhān dadhmuḥ pṛthak pṛthak : Each of these warriors had their own individual conchshell, which they blew in response to the Kauravas. This list is indicative, not exhaustive. It highlights the prominent warriors on the Pāṇḍava side who, upon hearing the Kauravas’ conchshells, blew their own in return. The mention of these specific warriors does not imply that the list includes all the warriors, but rather emphasizes those who played a key role in signaling the beginning of the hostilities.

 

The blowing of the conchshells marked the formal start of the war, a declaration that the battle had commenced in earnest. The sound of the conchshells thus symbolized the onset of the conflict, a call to arms for both sides.