Bhagavad Gita · Arjuna Vishada YogaChapter 1, Shloka 5 (1.5)

This shloka is a list of names. A story from the Mahabharata is attached to each name, but the shloka itself does not tell those stories — so we give only the essential identification:

• Dhrishtaketu: king of the Chedi country. According to the Mahabharata he was the son of Shishupala — the same Shishupala whom Krishna slew at Yudhishthira's Rajasuya yajna. Yet Dhrishtaketu stands on the side of the Pandavas and Krishna. This is a peculiarity of this war — relationships and loyalties do not run in straight lines.
• Chekitana: Shridhara Svami says only this: "a king named Chekitana." The Mahabharata describes him as a warrior of the Vrishni (Yadava) clan.
• The king of Kashi: the king of Kashi. The shloka calls him vīryavān — valiant.
• Purujit and Kuntibhoja: Kuntibhoja is the royal house in which Kunti (the Pandavas' mother) was brought up — which is why she got the name "Kunti". In Madhusudana Sarasvati's commentary Purujit and Kuntibhoja are counted as separate warriors. Purujit's exact relationship to Kuntibhoja (brother or son) differs across accounts — so we do not state it as certain.
• Shaibya: king of the Shibi country. The shloka calls him narapuṅgava — the best among men.

Why the list matters: Why so many names? In terms of the story, this list shows how many different kingdoms and clans are joined to the Pandava side — Chedi, Kashi, Kuntibhoja, Shibi, Matsya, Panchala, Vrishni. It is no longer just a family quarrel; all of Bharatavarsha has been split in two. The weight of this will be felt later in Arjuna's despair — when he thinks of how many families will be destroyed in this war (1.40 and onwards).