Shloka 86
कृपश्च भोजश्नच तवात्मजश्न ते शरैरनेकैर्युधि पाण्डवर्षभम् । महारथा: संयुगमूर्थनि स्थिता- स्तमोनुदं वारिधरा इवापतन्,युद्धके मुहानेपर खड़े हुए कृपाचार्य, कृतवर्मा और आपके पुत्र दुर्योधन--ये तीन महारथी युद्धस्थलमें अनेक बाणोंद्वारा पाण्डवप्रवर अर्जुनको चोट पहुँचाने लगे, मानो बहुत-से मेघ सूर्यदेवपर टूट पड़े हों
kṛpaś ca bhojaś ca tavātmajaś ca te śarair anekair yudhi pāṇḍavarṣabham | mahārathāḥ saṁyugamūrdhani sthitās tamonudaṁ vāridharā ivāpatan ||
Karna said: “Kṛpa, Bhoja (Kṛtavarmā), and your own son—those three great chariot-warriors, standing at the very forefront of the clash, struck the bull among the Pāṇḍavas (Arjuna) in battle with many arrows, as if masses of rain-bearing clouds were crashing down upon the dispeller of darkness, the Sun.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the epic ethic of kṣatriya warfare: coordinated effort, steadfastness at the battle-front, and the relentless testing of a hero’s endurance. It also underscores how even a great warrior may be assailed by many at once—suggesting that prowess is measured not only by striking but by withstanding overwhelming opposition.
Karna describes how three leading Kaurava-side warriors—Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and Duryodhana—positioned at the forefront of the fight, shower Arjuna with numerous arrows. The attack is compared to rain-clouds surging upon the Sun, emphasizing both the intensity of the assault and Arjuna’s radiance as a central figure in the battle.