Shloka 19
प्रत्यक्ष भूमिपालानां भवतां चापि संनिधौ । न्यस्तशस्त्रो मम पिता धृष्टद्युम्नेन पातित:
pratyakṣa-bhūmipālānāṁ bhavatāṁ cāpi saṁnidhau | nyasta-śastro mama pitā dhṛṣṭadyumnena pātitaḥ ||
In the very presence of the assembled kings—and even with you all standing nearby—my father, having laid aside his weapons, was struck down by Dhṛṣṭadyumna.
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a key wartime ethical norm in the Mahābhārata: once a combatant has laid down weapons, attacking him is treated as a serious breach of kṣatriya-dharma. Publicly witnessed wrongdoing intensifies moral responsibility and fuels cycles of vengeance.
Kṛpa, speaking in the Sauptika Parva, recalls that his father Droṇa was killed by Dhṛṣṭadyumna while disarmed, and that this occurred in full view of many kings and the nearby leaders. He uses this memory to underscore the perceived injustice and to justify the anger driving subsequent actions.