Mahabharata 7.161.46 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 161, Shloka 46
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
ततो दौणि: कृप: शल्यो हार्दिक्यश्व महारथ: । प्रत्युद्ययुस्तदा पार्थ सुतपुत्रपरीप्सया
tato dhauṇiḥ kṛpaḥ śalyo hārdikyaś ca mahārathaḥ | pratyudyayus tadā pārtha sutaputraparīpsayā ||
তখন দ্রোণপুত্র অশ্বত্থামা, কৃপ, শল্য এবং মহারথী হার্দিক্য—হে পার্থ—সূতপুত্রকে রক্ষা করতে প্রতিআক্রমণে অগ্রসর হলেন।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the battlefield ethic of the epic, immediate dharma often appears as the obligation to protect one’s comrades and uphold one’s pledged side. The verse frames protection of an ally (Karṇa) as a motivating duty that overrides hesitation and prompts coordinated action.
Key Kaurava warriors—Aśvatthāman, Kṛpa, Śalya, and Kṛtavarman—move out to counter the opposing force, specifically to safeguard Karṇa (called the Sūtaputra). It signals a tactical response: a protective advance to prevent Karṇa from being overwhelmed.
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