Shloka 37

Devanagari script

कृप उवाच वयं द्रोणं पुरस्कृत्य पृथिव्यां प्रवरं रथम्‌ । प्रावर्तयाम संग्रामं पडचालैरेव केवलम्‌,कृपाचार्य बोले--वत्स! हमलोगोंने भूमण्डलके श्रेष्ठ महारथी आचार्य द्रोणको आगे करके केवल पांचालोंके साथ युद्ध आरम्भ किया था

Transliteration

kṛpa uvāca | vayaṃ droṇaṃ puraskṛtya pṛthivyāṃ pravaraṃ ratham | prāvartayāma saṅgrāmaṃ pāñcālair eva kevalam ||

Translation

Kṛpa said: “Placing Droṇa at our head—the foremost chariot-warrior upon the earth—we set the battle in motion, engaging only with the Pāñcālas.”

Word by Word

कृपःKripa

उवाचsaid

वयम्we

द्रोणम्Drona

पुरस्कृत्यhaving placed in front / having put forward

पृथिव्याम्on the earth

प्रवरम्foremost, excellent

रथम्chariot / chariot-warrior (ratha)

प्रावर्तयामwe set in motion / we began

संग्रामम्battle

पाञ्चालैःwith the Panchalas

एवindeed, only

केवलम्only, merely

Speaker

कृप उवाच

Characters & Entities

Kṛpa (Kṛpācārya)

Droṇa

Pāñcālas

pṛthivī (earth)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical weight of leadership in war: by placing a renowned master-warrior at the forefront, a side consciously escalates conflict and accepts responsibility for the consequences of that strategic choice.

What is happening in the narrative?

Kṛpa recounts that their forces began the fighting by appointing Droṇa as the leading figure and engaging specifically with the Pāñcālas, indicating a focused confrontation against that contingent.