Shloka 13
काकोपमोपदेशः
The Crow-and-Swan Exemplum as Counsel to Karṇa
त॑ नामृष्यत संक्रुद्धों हवमानं युधिष्ठिर: । अपविध्य धनुश्कछिन्न॑ क्रोधसंरक्तलोचन:
taṁ nāmṛṣyata saṅkruddho havamānaṁ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | apavidhya dhanuś chinnaṁ krodha-saṁrakta-locanaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Yudhiṣṭhira, inflamed with anger, could not endure that taunt. With eyes reddened by wrath, he cast aside his broken bow, took up another, and—standing at the very front of the army—cut down Duryodhana’s banner and his bow as well.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even a dharmic king like Yudhiṣṭhira can be driven by insult into wrath, showing the ethical tension in war: honor and duty may demand action, yet anger is a dangerous motivator that tests self-mastery.
After being taunted, Yudhiṣṭhira cannot bear the affront. He throws away his broken bow, takes another, and retaliates by cutting down Duryodhana’s banner and bow at the army’s front, signaling a forceful response in the battle.