Shloka 20
काकोपमोपदेशः
The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa
अन्योन्यं तौ महाराज पीडयाज्चक्रतुर्भशम् । ततो युधिष्छिरो राजा पुत्र तव शरैस्त्रिभि:
anyonyam tau mahārāja pīḍayāṃ cakratur bhṛśam | tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā putra tava śarais tribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: „O großer König, die beiden bedrängten einander hart im wilden Kampf. Dann wurde König Yudhiṣṭhira—der Gegner deines Sohnes—von drei Pfeilen getroffen, die dein Sohn abschoss.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reciprocity of war: when rulers choose violence as policy, even righteous kings are drawn into mutual injury. It implicitly underscores the ethical cost of conflict—suffering multiplies through retaliation, and kingship bears responsibility for the consequences.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two warriors are fiercely pressing each other in combat; in that exchange, King Yudhiṣṭhira is hit by three arrows shot by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (as addressed in the narration).