Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 49
अर्जुन-कर्ण-सङ्ग्रामः
Arjuna–Karna Engagement in the Cattle-Raid Aftermath
सेनाओंकी व्यूहरचना हो जाय और हम सभी श्रेष्ठ धनुर्धर सावधान रहें, तो जैसे दानव इन्द्रसे भिड़ते हैं, उसी प्रकार हम युद्धमें अर्जुनका सामना कर सकते हैं ।।
senānāṁ vyūha-racanā ho jāya aura hama sabhī śreṣṭha dhanurdhara sāvadhāna raheṁ, to yathā dānava indrase bhiḍate haiṁ, usī prakāra hama yuddha meṁ arjunakā sāmnā kara sakate haiṁ. iti śrīmahābhārate virāṭaparvaṇi goharaṇaparvaṇi uttara-gograhe kṛpa-vākyaṁ nāma ekona-pañcāśattamo 'dhyāyaḥ. itī prakāra śrīmahābhārata virāṭaparvake antargata goharaṇaparvameṁ uttara-gograha ke samaya kṛpācārya-vākya-viṣayaka unacāsavāṁ adhyāya pūrā huā.
Kṛpa sprach: „Wenn unsere Heere in die rechte Schlachtordnung gebracht sind und wir alle—meisterliche Bogenschützen—voll wachsam bleiben, dann können wir Arjuna im Kampf begegnen, wie die Dānavas Indra entgegentreten.“ So endet das neunundvierzigste Kapitel, genannt „Kṛpas Rat“, in der Goharaṇa-Episode der Virāṭa-Parva, zur Zeit der Wegnahme von Uttaras Rindern.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kripa emphasizes disciplined preparedness: correct battle-formation (vyūha), collective vigilance, and coordinated skill are the ethical and practical foundations of facing a superior warrior. The counsel reflects the kṣatriya ideal that courage must be guided by strategy and alertness, not mere bravado.
During the cattle-raid episode in Virāṭa Parva, the Kaurava side anticipates or encounters Arjuna’s resistance. Kripa advises that if their forces are properly arrayed and their best archers remain vigilant, they can attempt to meet Arjuna in battle—likening the confrontation to Dānavas challenging Indra.