Shloka 12
कर्णस्य सेनापत्यं, माकरव्यूहः, पाण्डवानामर्धचन्द्रव्यूहः
Karna’s Command; Mākara Formation; Pandava Crescent Counter-Array
शारद्वतो गौतमश्नापि राजन् महाबाहुर्बहुचित्रास्त्रयोधी । धनुश्षित्रं सुमहद् भारसाहं व्यवस्थितो योद्धुकाम: प्रगृह्म,राजन! अनेक प्रकारके विचित्र अस्त्रोंद्वारा युद्ध करनेवाले, गौतमवंशीय शरद्वानके पुत्र महाबाहु कृपाचार्य भी महान् भार सहन करनेमें समर्थ विचित्र धनुष हाथमें लेकर आपके लिये युद्ध करनेको तैयार हैं
śāradvato gautamaś cāpi rājan mahābāhur bahucitrāstrayodhī | dhanuḥśitraṃ sumahad bhārasāhaṃ vyavasthito yoddhukāmaḥ pragṛhya ||
Sañjaya said: O King, the mighty-armed Kṛpācārya too—Śāradvata by lineage, of the Gautama line, a warrior skilled in many wondrous weapons—has taken up his great, weight-bearing bow and stands ready, eager to fight for your cause.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma in the epic often appears as role-bound duty: even a revered elder-teacher like Kṛpa, known for learning and restraint, is drawn into battle by allegiance and obligation to his side. It invites reflection on the ethical tension between personal virtue and institutional loyalty during war.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛpācārya—identified by his Śāradvata and Gautama lineage—has taken up a formidable bow and is positioned, ready and willing to fight on behalf of the Kauravas.