Shloka 5
Śalya Appointed as Karṇa’s Sārathi; Discourse on Praise, Blame, and Beneficial Counsel (कर्णस्य शल्यसारथ्यं तथा स्तवनिन्दाविचारः)
शारद्वतो महातेजा दिव्यास्त्रविदुदारधी: । अपि स्वस्ति भवेदद्य धृष्टद्युम्नस्य गौतमात्,वहाँ सभी रथी और घुड़सवार उदास होकर कहने लगे कि निश्चय ही द्रोणाचार्यके मारे जानेसे दिव्यास्त्रोंके ज्ञाता, उदारबुद्धि, महातेजस्वी, नरश्रेष्ठ, शरद्वानके पुत्र कृपाचार्य अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठे होंगे। क्या आज कृपाचार्यसे धृष्टद्युम्न कुशलपूर्वक सुरक्षित रह सकेंगे?
śāradvato mahātejā divyāstravid udāradhīḥ | api svasti bhaved adya dhṛṣṭadyumnasya gautamāt ||
Sañjaya said: “Kṛpa, the son of Śaradvat—radiant with great prowess, broad-minded, and a master of celestial weapons—has surely been inflamed with fury today at the slaying of Droṇa. Will Dhṛṣṭadyumna be able to remain safe and unharmed today from Gautama (Kṛpa)?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how violent acts—especially the killing of a revered teacher—ignite powerful cycles of retaliation. It underscores the ethical weight of such deeds in war: even when actions are taken for strategic ends, they generate moral and emotional consequences that return swiftly through vengeance and renewed danger.
After Droṇa’s death, the warriors anticipate that Kṛpa—renowned for mastery of divine weapons and formidable energy—will be enraged. Sañjaya voices the anxious question of whether Dhṛṣṭadyumna, who is closely associated with Droṇa’s slaying, can remain safe from Kṛpa’s counterattack.