Shloka 36
युधिष्ठिर बोले--अर्जुन! तब तुम्हीं राधापुत्र कर्णके साथ भिड़ जाओ! भीमसेन दुर्योधनसे, नकुल वृषसेनसे, सहदेव शकुनिसे, शतानीक दुःशासनसे, सात्यकि कृतवर्मासे और धृष्टद्युम्न अश्वत्थामासे युद्ध करे तथा स्वयं मैं कृपाचार्यके साथ युद्ध करूँगा ।। द्रौपदेया धार्तराष्ट्रानू शिष्टानू सह शिखण्डिना । ते ते च तांस्तानहितानस्माकं घ्नन्तु मामका:,द्रौपदीके पुत्र शिखण्डीके साथ रहकर धुृतराष्ट्रके शेष बचे हुए पुत्रोंपर धावा करें। इसी प्रकार हमारे विभिन्न सैनिक हमलोगोंके उन-उन शत्रुओंका विनाश करें
sañjaya uvāca— yudhiṣṭhira uvāca— arjuna! tvaṃ rādheyaṃ karṇaṃ samabhyāpatya yudhyasva. bhīmaseno duryodhanena, nakulo vṛṣasenena, sahadevaḥ śakunina, śatānīko duḥśāsanena, sātyakiḥ kṛtavarmaṇā, dhṛṣṭadyumno ’śvatthāmnā ca yudhyatām; ahaṃ tu kṛpācāryeṇa saha yotsye. draupadeyāḥ śikhaṇḍinā saha dhṛtarāṣṭrāṇām avaśiṣṭān putrān abhyāpatantu; tathāsmākaṃ yodhāḥ sva-sva-śatrūn ghnantu.
Sañjaya said: Yudhiṣṭhira said—“Arjuna, you must close with Rādheya Karṇa and fight him. Let Bhīmasena engage Duryodhana; Nakula, Vṛṣasena; Sahadeva, Śakuni; Śatānīka, Duḥśāsana; Sātyaki, Kṛtavarman; and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Aśvatthāman. I myself will fight with Kṛpācārya. Let the sons of Draupadī, with Śikhaṇḍin at their side, charge the remaining sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra; and let our warriors, each in his place, strike down those enemies assigned to him.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights kṣatriya-dharma expressed as disciplined leadership: Yudhiṣṭhira assigns clear pairings to prevent chaos, distribute responsibility, and protect the army’s moral and tactical order. Even amid violence, the emphasis is on duty-bound action, coordination, and accountability rather than impulsive vengeance.
On the battlefield in Karṇa Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira issues a tactical directive: Arjuna is told to engage Karṇa; other प्रमुख warriors are matched with key Kaurava champions; Yudhiṣṭhira himself takes Kṛpa; and the Draupadeyas with Śikhaṇḍin are ordered to attack the remaining sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra.