Shloka 52

Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions

Devanagari script

बृहत्क्षत्रं तु कैकेयं कृप: शारद्वतो ययौ । त॑ं कृप: शरवर्षेण छादयामास भारत

Transliteration

bṛhatkṣatraṃ tu kaikeyyaṃ kṛpaḥ śāradvato yayau | taṃ kṛpaḥ śaravarṣeṇa chādayāmāsa bhārata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Kṛpa, the son of Śaradvat, advanced against the mighty Kaikeya warrior Bṛhatkṣatra. O Bhārata, Kṛpa covered him with a rain of arrows, displaying disciplined martial skill amid the grim duty of war.

Word by Word

• बृहत्क्षत्रम्: the mighty Kshatriya (king)
• बृहत्क्षत्रम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहत्क्षत्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• कैकेयम्: the Kaikeya (king of Kekaya)
• कैकेयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैकेय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कृपः: Kripa
• कृपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शारद्वतः: son/descendant of Śaradvat
• शारद्वतः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शारद्वत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ययौ: went/advanced
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (गत्यर्थे)
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• कृपः: Kripa
• कृपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शरवर्षेण: with a shower of arrows
• शरवर्षेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरवर्ष
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• छादयामास: covered/veiled
• Type: Verb
• Root: छाद्
• Form: Periphrastic Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular

• भारत: O Bharata
• Type: Noun
• Root: भारत
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Kṛpa (Śāradvata)
• Śaradvat
• Bṛhatkṣatra
• Kaikeya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined execution of kṣatriya-dharma in battle: skill and resolve are applied without hesitation, even as the action remains ethically weighty because it occurs within the destructive context of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Kṛpa (son of Śaradvat) advances upon Bṛhatkṣatra of the Kaikeyas and overwhelms him by covering him with a dense volley of arrows.