Shloka 21
Kṛpa’s Archery Display; Śikhaṇḍin Checked; Suketu Slain; Dhṛṣṭadyumna–Kṛtavarmā Clash (कृपशौर्य–पार्षतहार्दिक्ययुद्धम्)
बिलस्थं कृष्णसर्प त्वं बाल्यात् काछेन विध्यसि । महाविषं॑ पूर्णकोप॑ं यत् पार्थ योद्धुमिच्छसि,“तुम यदि पूर्णतः क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुनके साथ जूझना चाहते हो तो मूर्खतावश बिलमें बैठे हुए महाविषैले काले सर्पको किसी काठकी छड़ीसे बींध रहे हो
bilasthaṃ kṛṣṇasarpa tvaṃ bālyāt kāṣṭhena vidhyasi | mahāviṣaṃ pūrṇakopaṃ yat pārtha yoddhum icchasi ||
Sañjaya said: “In childish folly you are prodding a black serpent that sits in its burrow with a stick. So too, if you truly wish to fight Pārtha (Arjuna) when he is filled with wrath—like a great venomous snake at the height of its fury—you are courting a peril that will recoil upon you.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not provoke or challenge a superior and dangerous force out of pride or immaturity; anger magnifies power, and reckless aggression invites self-destruction. The verse frames ethical prudence in war: discern strength, timing, and consequences before engaging.
Sañjaya uses a vivid simile—prodding a venomous black snake in its burrow—to caution against taking on Arjuna when he is fully enraged. The image underscores the folly of provoking a lethal opponent and foreshadows the peril of confronting Arjuna at his fiercest.