Shloka 14
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
आचार्यस्य तु पाण्डूनां ब्राह्मणस्य तपस्विन:,त्रिपुरघ्नरथो यद्वद् गोवृषेण विराजता । पाण्डवोंके आचार्य, तपस्वी ब्राह्मण, गौतमगोत्रीय कृपाचार्यके ध्वजपर एक बैलका सुन्दर चिह्न अंकित था। राजन! उनका वह विशाल रथ उस वृषभचिह्नसे बड़ी शोभा पा रहा था; ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे त्रिपुरनाशक महादेवजीका रथ सुन्दर वृषभचिह्लसे शोभायमान होता था
ācāryasya tu pāṇḍūnāṃ brāhmaṇasya tapasvinaḥ | tripuraghnaratho yadvad govṛṣeṇa virājatā ||
Sañjaya said: “The preceptor of the Pāṇḍavas—an austere Brahmin—bore upon the banner of his great chariot a splendid bull emblem. O King, that vast car shone all the more for the bull-mark, just as Mahādeva’s chariot, the destroyer of Tripura, is glorified by the noble sign of the bull.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how symbols on a warrior’s banner can carry ethical and religious resonance: Kṛpa’s bull emblem evokes steadiness, righteous authority, and disciplined strength, aligning martial action with dharma rather than mere aggression.
Sañjaya describes the appearance of the Pāṇḍavas’ preceptor Kṛpa on the battlefield, focusing on his chariot and its bull-marked banner, and compares its splendor to Śiva’s famed chariot associated with the destruction of Tripura.